C.J. Stroud didn’t disappoint in his playoff debut.
In his first postseason game as an NFL quarterback, Stroud completed 16 of 21 passing attempts for 274 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Houston Texans to a dominant 45-14 win over the Cleveland Browns in the wild card round.
Stroud threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone, breaking the first-half record for rookie passing yards in a playoff game and tying the full-game record for playoff passing touchdowns by a rookie. He capped off the first half with his best throw of the day, connecting with Dalton Schultz on a 37-yard deep-ball touchdown.
AIR IT OUT pic.twitter.com/NjLQxykfDa
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 13, 2024
His 274 passing yards – a number he almost certainly would have exceeded if the game hadn’t become a blowout in the second half, which led to Stroud checking out of the game with more than nine minutes left to play in the fourth quarter – are the fourth-most ever by a rookie quarterback in a playoff debut.
They’re also the most ever for a former Ohio State quarterback in an NFL playoff game. Mike Tomczak – one of only two players who finished their college careers at Ohio State, along with Tom Matte, to start an NFL playoff game at quarterback before Stroud – held the previous mark with just 205 passing yards.
At just 22 years and 102 days old, Stroud became the youngest starting quarterback to ever win an NFL playoff game.
Stroud and the Texans now await the results of the Buffalo Bills’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday to find out where and against whom they will play in the divisional round next weekend.
If the Bills win, the Texans will play the No. 1 seed Ravens in Baltimore. If the Steelers win, the Texans would travel to Kansas City to play the No. 3 seed Chiefs.
