'West Coast Killer!' C.J. Stroud Earns Texans Praise as Rookie Season Ends in Playoff Loss at Ravens
The Houston Texans' breakthrough season came to a disappointing close Saturday, falling 34-10 to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
Houston was outscored 17-0 in the fourth quarter and 24-0 in the second half overall, watching its year end in the AFC Divisional round.
But this frustrating finish doesn't take away from the Texans' growth, which includes an eight-win improvement and playoff victory spearheaded by first-year coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Last offseason, Houston took a leap of faith on Ryans, who did the same on Stroud at No. 2 overall in April's draft.
Time and again, the duo delivered - all the way to the end. And while Stroud's first professional campaign ended on a sour note, Ryans had nothing but glowing praise for him postgame.
"He's the leader of our team," Ryans said. "I'm so proud of him. How he's grown as a player and a leader, it's fun to watch. Really awesome young man. The sky is the limit for him."
Jan 20, 2024; Baltimore, MD, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) drops back to pass against the Baltimore Ravens in the first half of a 2024 AFC divisional round game at M&T Bank Stadium.
Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Stroud went 19 of 33 for 175 yards, no touchdowns and no turnovers. He added three rushes for nine yards. Houston's lone score came on a punt return touchdown from Steven Sims.
In the second half, with the Texans' season at stake, Stroud went just eight of 13 for 44 yards. The offense accumulated only 68 total yards on 19 plays.
Baltimore's defense, which led the NFL in scoring at just 16.5 points allowed per game during the regular season, deserves a large sum of credit.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he believes his defense played as well as it could've - and Stroud, despite having just his third game with fewer than 180 passing yards, still impressed.
"That's a good quarterback," Harbaugh said. "C.J. Stroud deserves a lot of credit. He gets out and starts rolling around, starts making plays downfield. I thought our guys chased him, and I thought we plastered (their receivers) downfield.
"Our coverage was just outstanding. We covered as long as we needed to so many times. He still made some really good throws."
Stroud was never sacked, but Baltimore hit him four times - all in the second half.
Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen said with a player like Stroud, who can locate his passes anywhere, getting pressure is integral. Baltimore checked that box - and pushed itself one win away from a trip to the Super Bowl.
The Ravens are elated. The Texans, conversely, are heartbroken - and while Stroud acknowledged he has fond feelings towards this season, he still lamented on the unsatisfying conclusion.
"We came up short," Stroud said. "You can't look back and be like, we didn't do nothing special - you've got to look back and smile throughout everything. But at the same time, it's like, what if?
"That's the worst feeling - having regrets. What if I did this, what if I did that? Just learning experiences."
Stroud was 21-4 as the starter at Ohio State University but never won the Big Ten conference nor a National Championship. The last game of his college career was a 42-41 loss to the University of Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
The 22-year-old Stroud continued his winning ways in the NFL, but once again will have the sting of a season-ending loss linger inside him.
"I know where I come from in college, if you don't win it all, then it's kind of a fail," Stroud said. "So that's kind of the mindset I have. I think we have the capability, we have the team to do it."
Stroud's rookie year provided quite the building block moving forward.
The 6-3, 218-pound signal caller completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions while adding another 167 yards and three scores on the ground.
He was highly effective in his playoff debut, going 16 of 21 for 274 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers in a 45-14 win over the Cleveland Browns on Jan. 13.
While Stroud led the Texans' resurgence, others benefitted - including tight end Brevin Jordan, who logged a career-high 219 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns on 17 receptions this season.
Following Saturday's loss, Jordan was quick to give Stroud the credit for helping produce his best professional season to date.
"I always say the dude is a 'West Coast Killer," Jordan said. "He's super-mature, the way he goes about his business. This is the best season I've had, and a lot of it goes to (Stroud)."
Stroud is largely considered the runaway favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He appears to have cemented himself as Houston's franchise signal caller for the foreseeable future.
For now, his focus is on falling short in the playoffs - but he was still able to recognize how far both he and the organization have come and how high the ceiling is moving forward.
"It's been a heck of a year," Stroud said. "Our future's bright, but these type of losses suck. It's tough to get embarrassed like that, but definitely think our future is bright."
