As long as the Houston Texans defense remains as dominant as it has been for most of the last two seasons, it's possible that CJ Stroud may never get as much credit as he truly deserves for facilitating a turnaround in H-Town that was desperately needed following the Deshaun Watson debacle that submarined what looked like it was going to be a successful era of Texans football.
But whether you're eager to give Stroud credit or believe that he's been carried by the Texans D each of the last two seasons, the numbers don't lie... Stroud's first three seasons in Houston have been among the most successul in NFL history by a quarterback to begin his career.
For the first time in franchise history, the Texans are heading to the postseason for a third consecutive year, and Stroud, who has been under center for 27 of Houston's 31 regular season wins over the last three years, has moved ahead of Peyton Manning for most wins by a quarterback selected either 1st or 2nd overall in his first three NFL seasons.
And what's impressive about this accomplishment is not just that Stroud moved ahead of Manning, a two-time Super Bowl champion and five-time MVP, it's that with a win next Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, Stroud would move ahead of Hall of Famer John Elway for the most wins in NFL history by a former 1st or 2nd overall pick in his first three seasons.
This is a fantastic omen for both CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans organization. While it took Peyton Manning until his 9th season to win a Super Bowl and John Elway until his 15th to get his hands on the Lombardi Trophy for the first time, both Manning and Elway consistently had the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos respectively playing deep into the postseason during the entirety of their tenures.
But just because Stroud found instant success in Houston, it doesn't mean the third-year QB is taking it for granted.
"It’s dope. It’s a blessing to go to the playoffs for a third year in a row for me," Stroud said after a 20-16 win over the Chargers on Saturday night. "We don't want to get used to this. It takes a lot of hard work to get here. The work needs to be put in. It's not just every year, 'the Texans are stamped to go to the Playoffs.' That might be the outside noise, but what really matters is the work we put in. So it's not getting used to success, so when that time comes, you're still grateful, thankful for all these times."