C.J. Stroud Breaks NFL Rookie Record with 470 Passing Yards, Ties Rookie Record with Five Passing Touchdowns in Houston Texans’ Win over Tampa Bay Buccaneers

By Dan Hope on November 5, 2023 at 4:30 pm
C.J. Stroud
Thomas Shea – USA TODAY Sports
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C.J. Stroud has put his name in the NFL record book again.

The former Ohio State quarterback broke the NFL rookie record for single-game passing yards by throwing for 470 yards and tied the NFL rookie record for single-game passing touchdowns by throwing five touchdown passes as he led the Houston Texans to a 39-37 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Stroud broke the passing record by completing five straight passes for 75 yards in the game’s final minute, capping his game-winning drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tank Dell.

Stroud threw his first touchdown on the Houston Texans’ second drive of the day, connecting with Nico Collins for a 14-yard score.

His longest touchdown of the day went to another Buckeye as Stroud connected with former Ohio State receiver Noah Brown for a 75-yard touchdown on the Texans’ first offensive play of the second half.

Stroud threw another beautiful touchdown pass on the Texans’ next drive, dropping a perfectly placed dime to Tank Dell in the end zone for a 29-yard score.

Stroud’s fourth touchdown pass came in the first minute of the fourth quarter when he connected with Dalton Schultz for a 9-yard score. He followed up by running for a game-tying two-point conversion.

Stroud breaks the previous record for single-game passing yards by an NFL rookie of 453, which was set by Marc Bulger in 2002. He is the sixth rookie quarterback in NFL history to throw five touchdown passes in one game, joining Daniel Jones (2019), Deshaun Watson (2017), Jameis Winston (2015), Matthew Stafford (2009) and Ray Buivid (1937).

He completed 30 of his 42 passing attempts on the day for an average of 11.2 passing yards per attempt en route to his record-breaking 470 passing yards and record-tying five touchdowns. Stroud threw for 325 yards and four touchdowns in the second half alone, completing 16 of 20 passing attempts after the halftime break.

Stroud did not throw any interceptions in the win, which brought the Texans to 4-4 on the season, and he also had an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter off a lateral from Texans running back Devin Singletary.

For the year as a whole, Stroud – who cemented his status as the overwhelming favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors with Sunday’s record-breaking performance – has now thrown for 2,270 yards and 14 touchdowns with only one interception while completing 173 of his 279 passing attempts (62%).

Sunday’s performance continues what had already been a record-breaking rookie year for Stroud, who started his NFL career by attempting 191 passes without throwing an interception, the most ever by an NFL quarterback to start his career.

His performance on Sunday drew a wave of reactions on social media, including from former Ohio State wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Michael Thomas and NBA star LeBron James, among many others.

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