Week 11 NFL Quarterback Rankings: C.J. Stroud Nears the Top Five Amid MVP Conversations
With Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa all enjoying a week off, the MVP race had a chance to get even more absurd in Week 10.
Lamar Jackson faced one of the league’s best defenses in the Browns, providing him with a stiff test in an important AFC North matchup. In Jacksonville, it was Trevor Lawrence dealing with Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and the 49ers’ defense.
Yet nobody made more of a move, either in the MVP race or in the standings, than the Texans’ C.J. Stroud.
Stroud was brilliant for most of Sunday’s game. He put the Texans in position to upset the Bengals on the road, and then made a critical error. Leading 27–17 with less than four minutes remaining, Stroud threw an interception, allowing Cincinnati to regain possession and cut its deficit to three. Then, Houston went three-and-out, and the Bengals tied it.
But what happened next is why Stroud is so intriguing. Instead of turtling, the rookie drove Houston down the field on a six-play, 55-yard drive, setting up a game-winning field goal as time expired.
Stroud threw for 356 yards in Week 10, but even the box score doesn’t do the performance justice.
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32. Tommy DeVito, New York Giants (32)
31. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (27)
30. Mac Jones, New England Patriots (30)
29. Tyson Bagent, Chicago Bears (31)
28. Zach Wilson, New York Jets (28)
27. Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders (24)
26. Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers (29)
25. Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons (N/A)
24. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (23)
23. Joshua Dobbs, Minnesota Vikings (26)
22. Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts (20)
21. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (22)
20. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns (20)
19. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (19)
18. Sam Howell, Washington Commanders (18)
17. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos (16)
16. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (14)
15. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (17)
14. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (15)
13. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (13)
12. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (12)
11. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (11)
10. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (7)
9. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (5)
8. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (6)
7. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (9)
6. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (10)
5. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (8)
4. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (4)
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (2)
2. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (3)
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (1)