C.J. Stroud To Replace Patrick Mahomes in Pro Bowl
You can add yet another accolade to the historic rookie season from Houston Texans quarterback and former Ohio State Buckeyes star C.J. Stroud.
Following the conclusion of the AFC title game on Monday, Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes became ineligible for the Pro Bowl, due to his team's participation in the Super Bowl.
And in place of Mahomes, Stroud will now head to the Pro Bowl, becoming just the 13th rookie QB in NFL history to earn the honors alongside names like Joe Namath, Dan Marino, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott, per Stat Muse.
Stroud led the Texans to the playoffs for the first time since 2019 - a postseason run came to a disappointing end on Jan. 20 in a 34-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
However, Stroud did lead the Texans to the Divisional Round by taking a 45-14 Wild Card victory against the Cleveland Browns on Jan. 13.
In the win, he finished the game going 16 of 21 for 274 yards and three touchdowns. He became the youngest quarterback in league history to win a playoff game.
"So many highlights throughout the year," Stroud told the Houston media when recapping his rookie season. "I think none [were more] special than the win at the end of the year vs. Indianapolis when we were able to clinch our spot into the playoffs. That’s one that I’ll always remember, and it’s a significant moment for our team and where we were at the time, so a very special moment there."
Stroud finished the regular season with the third-most passing yards for a first-year quarterback with 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 63.9 percent of his passes.