25 September 2023 , 16:49
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NFL rookie CJ Stroud has been posting better numbers than two-time Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning in his first season.
The second overall pick of the 2023 Draft lost his first two games with the Houston Texans. They were beaten convincingly by the Baltimore Ravens in the first game of the season before succumbing to another defeat, this time to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2. However, they responded well to claim their first victory of the campaign against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
While it is a small sample size, the 21-year-old has some promising individual statistics so far, which supersede those set by Manning during his first three starts with the Colts in 1998. According to StatMuse, Stroud has registered 906 yards with four touchdowns, and no interceptions in the first 3 games of his career, with a passer rating of 98.0.
Manning, on the other hand, registered just 683 yards, two touchdowns and eight interceptions in his first 3 games in the NFL, with a passer rating of 490, with his rookie season far from ideal.
He threw a league-high 28 interceptions as the Colts struggled to a 3–13 record with a defense that conceded more than 27 points per game. Despite the poor start to his career, Manning went on to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy twice, won the 2007 Super Bowl MVP and is also a five-time league MVP.
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Stroud has a long way to go to achieve those types of accolades, but he has certainly made a steady start to life in the NFL. There were doubts surrounding his fitness for yesterday's game and he was placed on an “arm management plan” while he dealt with right shoulder soreness.
Before the Jaguars game, Stroud had taken a league-high 11 sacks and 19 hits. He did not practice with the team last Wednesday and he had limited involvement on Thursday, before participating all of Friday’s practice.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed his availability to play the Jaguars when he said: “C.J. is fine. [He] had a normal week of practice.” Stroud currently has the same treatment plan he used in college when he sprained the AC joint in his right shoulder as a freshman at Ohio State in 2021.
Peyton Manning began his NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts and did not have the best season (Getty Images)But the rookie starred in his third NFL game, as the Texans claimed their first win of the season by beating their AFC South rivals 37-17. Stroud completed 20 of 30 passes for 280 yards, while also throwing for two touchdowns, one of which included a pass to Brevin Jordan who raced through the end zone.
He also launched a 46-yard pass to wide receiver Tank Dell inside the 5-yard line in the opening quarter. This was easily Stroud's best game of his young career so far and Texans fans certainly loved every minute of his performance.
His statistics saw him become the first quarterback in NFL history to record at least 900 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and no interceptions in his first three starts. “I have great guys around me,” Stroud told ESPN. “Nothing I can do without those guys up front battling, the receiver running the right route at the right depth, [offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik] calling the right plays at the right time.”