Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud continues his winning ways even before Wednesday practice begins. For, via the NFL's official X account, the fourth-year gunslinger has been announced as the Week Six AFC Offensive Player of the Week after putting up 312 passing yards, three touchdowns and a 116.3 passer rating in Houston's massive 34-31 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. This is now his fourth time winning the award since his 2023 rookie season.
It continues the accolade parade for Stroud, as he's been lauded over the last few weeks as playing some of the best quarterback in the NFL in 2026. At the moment, he's second only to Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in passing yards (1,714) and is currently helping to engineer the league's fourth-best passing offense through six weeks (270.2 YPG).
Houston's 0-4 record is quite deceptive when trying to process Stroud's effectiveness, as his defense has been the main culprit for why the team has floundered out of the gate in this campaign. He's handed the unit at least three different games to close in 2:00 drills through weeks 1-4 (Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys), yet they allowed the walk-off scores to opposing offenses in each situation.
It hasn't deterred Stroud though, as his continued excellence through the air is primarily responsible for the Texans' current two-game winning streak, as well as returning optimism from the fan base regarding any potential Super Bowl aspirations for the franchise;s 25th anniversary season.
Today's award presentation to the former Ohio State phenom also just further confirms what his teammates have believed about him the entire team: He's been that dude, and it's great that others are finally acknowledging it.
C.J. Stroud's excellent play for the Houston Texans is being acknowledged in the locker room and around the NFL (finally)
"You can definitely tell he's been motivated this season," expressed Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel glowingly about Stroud in an early-morning appearance on Good Morning Football. He continued,
"His confidence, his poise, his leadership ability has been at an all time high. We're feeding off that really. He's leading this team. We're obviously not where we want to be record wise, but he's starting to heat up and keep going and giving us all the energy we need to make a run."
Indubitably. Stroud has eclipsed 260 yards or more in five of his six games played, while also having at least one touchdown pass in five of six games and only one interception in 219 pass attempts. Not only has he played ultra competitive football, but he's been one of the least turnover-prone at the position while doing it.
It's why many believe that Houston's next four games against the likes of the New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts will most likely yield a combined six-game win streak that would have the Texans sitting at a remarkable 6-4 after an 0-4 start in 11 weeks of play. If that happens, it should firmly plant Stroud and co. right in the thick of the AFC playoff race with seven games left on their schedule to move further up the conference seeding chart.
As Noel mentioned, Houston isn't yet where they want to be, but acknowledging greatness along the way can definitely be a huge encourager for future success. Stroud is on fire right now, and that Player of the Week designation is further proof of that.
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