The Houston Texans have been eliminated from Super Bowl contention after a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC divisional round, but for many of the team's supporters, it's just the start of better things for the franchise. Sharing that mindset with them is no other than rookie quarterback CJ Stroud, who expressed his belief in the team's future when he spoke to reporters during the postgame press conference.

Stroud had an amazing overall performance in just his first year in the pros. With Stroud orchestrating the Texans' offense on the field, Houston managed to go 10-7 in the regular season and make it to the NFL playoffs for the first time since the 2019 campaign. Before Stroud landed on the laps of Houston, the Texans had three consecutive seasons with no more than four wins. It is safe to say that Stroud has given Houston a major boost, as excellently evidenced by his rookie numbers and the fact that Houston not only reached the playoffs but also scored a postseason win when they blasted the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round.

Stroud concluded the 2023 NFL regular season eighth in the entire league with 4,108 passing yards to go with 23 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

Against the Ravens, the former Ohio State Buckeyes star quarterback went 19/33 for 175 yards and zero touchdowns. He was easily outshined by Baltimore star Lamar Jackson, but it's not that hard to imagine for Texans fans, considering Stroud's body of work in 2023, that the young QB will be much better going forward.