Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has been one of the most impressive first-year players at his position in pro football history, and in Saturday night’s game against the Indianapolis Colts — the winner takes the AFC North — it didn’t take long for Stroud to show why he is who he is. With 9:06 left in the first quarter, Stroud hit play-action and zinged the ball wayyyyyy downfield in the direction of receiver Nico Collins, who singed rookie cornerback JuJu Brents for a 75-yard score.
It took @CJ7STROUD only one play. 75-yard TD to @lbg_nico7! #WeAreTexans
📺: #HOUvsIND on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/C88VYpgzkh pic.twitter.com/FJGmqbmH6F— NFL (@NFL) January 7, 2024
Stroud is doing this right now without three of his top five receivers due to injury — Tank Dell, Robert Woods, and Noah Brown — but as long as he has Nico Collins on the field, things will be alright.
OROY type throw? 🚀 pic.twitter.com/hySsyud4mu
— NFL (@NFL) January 7, 2024
Receiver Puks Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams will have something to say about that, but at this point, how do you not have Stroud as No. 1 in the Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation?
60 yards through the air 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/YTTChJLDSH
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 7, 2024
Those who saw the play, and were on Twitter at the time, seemed to agree.
We all knew Stroud had a cannon when he was coming out, but his arm strength still takes me by surprise sometimes. It just looks easy. pic.twitter.com/T2GOZ9nlKn
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) January 7, 2024
The All-22 angle of the CJ Stroud TD pass to Nico Collins is even more jaw-dropping… the ball placement. pic.twitter.com/NO0ZTk3Uqu
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) January 7, 2024
The way CJ Stroud steps up in the pocket, the arm strength he puts on this throw, the route Nico Collins runs.
Everything is perfect. pic.twitter.com/GThfZy37z0
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) January 7, 2024
Good lord what a throw from CJ Stroud pic.twitter.com/7eVKHnPKTq
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) January 7, 2024
That throw by Stroud pic.twitter.com/baiwHcnCVQ
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) January 7, 2024
C.J. Stroud. We are all witnesses pic.twitter.com/rnTX4YPeeL
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) January 7, 2024
C.J. Stroud is the BEST rookie QB since?____
His 300th completion of the year was a good one. Man to man post right in stride. Looks too easy. #Texans #Colts pic.twitter.com/Bqyys1ubk5
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) January 7, 2024
Coleridge Bernard "C. J." Stroud IV pic.twitter.com/opiemVl4W8
— O.J. Spivey (@OJPhilly) January 7, 2024
It was an unheard of thing when Dan Marino stepped in as a rookie with the 1983 #Dolphins & posted a 96 passer rating. No rookie QB did it again until the 2000s. Now C.J. Stroud is trying to be the 6th since Marino (minimum: 250 attempts). #Texans pic.twitter.com/VcByRfwtjh
— Dan Daly (@dandalyonsports) January 7, 2024
