Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud made a strong closing argument to the NFL on Saturday (Jan. 6) that he should be named offensive rookie of the year after he led his team to an important win over the Indianapolis Colts.
The Texans not only secured their first playoff spot since 2019 through their win but they also won the AFC South regular season championship after the Tennessee Titans upset the Jacksonville Jaguars by 28-20 on Sunday.
Stroud led the Texans to a 10-7 record and finished the 2023 regular season with 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only five interceptions.
The rookie quarterback has been vocal about his faith in Jesus since the start of the season, seizing the opportunities to give glory to his Lord and Savior—and that didn’t change after the Texans’ win this past weekend.
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On Saturday, directly following the game, ESPN‘s Lisa Salters welcomed Stroud to the playoffs and asked him how that phrase sounded to him. An emotional Stroud replied, “It’s a blessing. I can’t do nothing but just thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
“I’m just blessed enough to be the vessel that Christ picked to lead this great franchise, so I could do nothing but just thank the Lord,” he added.
As the team came out of the locker room tunnel before the start of the game, the television cameras caught Stroud writing something on his wristband. Salters asked the rookie if he could share what he was writing.
“I put a cross, triple sevens, and then to the glory of God,” the rookie responded. He also said he wrote his favorite Bible reference, which is Proverbs 3:5-6 and says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
RELATED: CJ Stroud, Record-Setting Rookie QB, Thankful for Opportunities To Glorify God
Stroud also included the initials of meaningful groups of people in his life alongside the phrase, “Made for this.”
Throughout the interview, the rookie showed the poise of a longtime NFL veteran as he deflected self-praise and humbly bragged on his teammates for doing their job.
When Stroud was asked why he kept reminding himself that all the work he’s put in was “good enough” to lead his team to a win, he said, “I just feel like God wouldn’t put nothing on me that I couldn’t handle…it’s just really cool to see the fruits of your labor come out of and I’m just super blessed.”
Stroud showed up to his postgame media press conference wearing a t-shirt featuring an image of Jesus and shared how his mother prays for him during the game. “When I look up and see [my mother] praying, it just gives me a sense of comfort,” he said. “My momma [is] praying for me, so it’s got to go good.”
As the No. 4 seed in the AFC, the Texans (10-7) will host the No. 5 seed Cleveland Browns (11-6) at NRG Stadium on Saturday (Jan. 13) at 4:30 p.m.
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