He is too good. He shouldn’t be this good. Not now, not here, not yet. CJ Stroud has ransacked the NFL’s quarterback arm’s race, torpedoing the best laid playoff plans of rivals, igniting an unlikely dream and spring-boarding a new era for the Houston Texans.
How would he handle Jim Schwartz and his No 1-ranked Cleveland Browns defense? How would the rookie swagger, funky arm angles, bold imagination and field diagnosis stand up in the face of postseason pressure and a marauding Myles Garrett? Was this where an ahead-of-schedule Texans project stumbled into a reality check?
Stroud was untouchable. He shredded Schwartz’s single-high coverage, neutralised Garrett, picked on slot corner Greg Newsome II, manipulated defenders with his eyes, exchanged splash plays with his veteran counterpart and reimagined collapsing pockets into breezy platforms on which to dice and deliver.
Cleveland had stormed to a 36-22 win when the sides met in the absence of Stroud on Christmas Eve; on Saturday he was the landslide difference, breaking the NFL record for most first-half playoff passing yards by a rookie and throwing for three touchdowns to derail any wholesome Joe Flacco narratives while dressing up DeMeco Ryans’ Texans as one of the league’s most enthralling spectacles.
