Texans' C.J. Stroud Gets Criminally Low Spot in NFL QB Rankings

After three straight offensive duds for the Houston Texans, the initial shades of doubt have effectively begun to creep in around quarterback C.J. Stroud.

The Texans have been the lowest-scoring offense throughout the NFL within three weeks of action. This offense has also resulted in the worst third-down effectiveness, ranking in the bottom-ten within both passing and rushing yards on the year, and find themselves within the bottom-five in EPA/play.

It's a nightmarish start to the year for the Texans offensively, and as a result, Stroud has begun to face a bit of heavy criticism and even has some disrespect coming his way.

NFL.com's Nick Shook recently broke down a ranking of each starting quarterback in the league through the initial three showings of the year, stacking up every talent from best to worst based on their initial sample size.

And for Stroud, he found himself all the way at number 25, residing in the fourth tier of quarterbacks, with a wild list of names sitting ahead of him.

"Houston is failing C.J. Stroud at a rate that almost seems criminal," Shook wrote. "The Texans can't protect him consistently or establish a reliable running game, their play-calling rhythm is poor and Stroud is expected to bail them out far too often. Predictably, he's falling short of that mark in a situation that is growing uglier with each week."

Of those names residing ahead of Stroud is including, but not limited to, all three other AFC South starters, backups Mac Jones (21) and Marcus Mariota (18), and the one pick ahead of Stroud in the 2023 NFL Draft, Bryce Young (24).

A brutal beginning stretch for Stroud and this offense as a whole, that now finds the Texans in an 0-3 deficit in the standings, while Houston's quarterback will be faced with doubters to prove wrong in the process.

Sep 21, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) warms up before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Thankfully, a Week 4 vs. the Texans' division rival Tennessee Titans, provides a chance for Stroud and this offense to get back on its feet, and thus, start the climb back to the top of the AFC South with their first win on the board.

But, if Stroud and his surrounding unit continue to show signs of growing pains, still aren't on the same page, and falter once mire, then the chatter will start to get ugly surrounding this Texans roster.

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