Bucs' Baker Mayfield Says Texans' C.J. Stroud 'Doesn't Look Like a Rookie to Me'

Baker Mayfield was impressed with C.J. Stroud's performance during the Houston Texans' 39-37 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

"I'll tell you what -- C.J. Stroud doesn't look like a rookie to me," the Buccaneers' singal-caller said (via ESPN's D.J. Bien-Aime). "That guy, he's so impressive. Looks like a polished NFL quarterback. So hats off to him. He played extremely, extremely well today."

Stroud threw for 470 yards, a single-game record for a rookie quarterback. He also tossed five touchdowns against zero interceptions.

The 22-year-old also led the Texans on a six-play, 75-yard drive to win the game after trailing by four points with just 46 seconds remaining in the contest.

Stroud has now amassed 2,270 passing yards in 2023 while racking up 14 touchdowns through the air with only one interception. He's helped lead Houston to a 4-4 record, good enough for second place in the AFC South.

Mayfield performed admirably, completing 21 of his 30 pass attempts for 265 yards and two scores. However, his solid afternoon was eclipsed by the former No. 2 overall pick's historic outing.

Stroud's teammates were both impressed and confident in his play.

"It makes it easy on everybody. No cap, that boy is a problem," left guard Tytus Howard said, per Bien-Aime. "He's special. And to be doing all this as a rookie, the sky's the limit for him. We just got to do our job, keep giving time and we know he's going to deal."

The Texans' 39 points scored were the highest total by the team all season, as Houston entered Week 9 averaging a modest 21.1 points per game. This included the team's previous contest, a disappointing 15-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

When speaking to reporters after the game, Stroud gave credit to his coaching staff while using the Panthers' defeat as motivation.

"[Offensive coordinator] Bobby [Slowik] was looking for us to answer the bell," he said, via Bien-Aime. "We know we should have been way better against the Carolina Panthers, and he did a great job. He told me this game, 'You got to make plays and be special. You're a special player, go be special.' And he put the ball in my hand, and I appreciate that."