Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud puts on a show at Pro Bowl Games in narrow flag football loss to NFC squad

HOUSTON – Spinning away from pressure, rolling out to his left, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud delivered a strike on a perfectly placed spiral to the corner of the end zone.

Stroud threw a touchdown pass to Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase on Sunday during the Pro Bowl Games, showcasing his arm strength and accuracy during a flag football game.

It was an outstanding throw and fell into line with many of the projected NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year’s passes during the season.

It happened in a losing cause, though, as Stroud and Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen were unable to connect on a potential go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds as the NFC squad won the game by a 64-59 margin. Allen might have been interfered with on the play, but there was no flag.

Earlier in the game, Stroud threw a touchdown pass to Allen.

The NFC participants earn $88,000 for the win while the AFC squad that included Stroud, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. earn $44,000.

Stroud was named the Athlete of the Year and the Newcomer of the Year during the Houston Sports Awards on Tuesday night.

The other finalists for Athlete of the Year were the Houston Astros’ Kyle Tucker, the Houston Dynamo’s Héctor Herrera, the Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green and Jane Campbell of the Houston Dash.

Stroud was also part of the Moment of the Year when the Texans drafted Stroud second overall out of Ohio State and Anderson Jr. third overall out of Alabama. Stroud is a leading candidate to be named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Anderson is a candidate for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Stroud was named to the Pro Bowl Games, becoming the second offensive rookie in franchise history to do so.

Stroud replaced Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is in the Super Bowl.

Stroud finished the season with 4,557 yards, ranking second in NFL history among all rookies behind Andrew Luck’s 4,662 yards.

“For really just having a rookie year like I had and to be able to be mentioned with a whole bunch of greats and be playing against the greats, it’s been just a blessing and really, my plan is I just want to be the best,” Stroud said. “I don’t want to be just the best rookie, the best second-year dude. I want to be the best: point-blank, period. I’m excited to get going with that.”

Stroud was previously named the Pro Football Writers of American NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and Rookie of the Year and is the frontrunner for the Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Stroud, 22, became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game. He joined Tom Brady and Joe Montana as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to lead the NFL in passing yards per contest and touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio.

He passed for a rookie franchise-record 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, five interceptions and a passer rating of 100.8, marking the third-best passer rating by a rookie in NFL history. His 4,108 passing yards rank third in NFL all-time lists among rookie quarterbacks while leading all rookies this past season in all major passing categories. Stroud finished the season with 4,557 total passing yards, including the postseason, which is the second-most ever by a rookie.

He also began his career with a record 192 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the most ever by a player to begin a career. Stroud led the league in passing yards per game (273.9), while also pacing the NFL in touchdown-interception ratio (4.60), becoming just the third player in NFL history to finish first in both categories.

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com