Stroud on Texans' Win vs. Bengals: 'I Made This Game a Little Harder Than It Needed'

There were times Sunday where CJ Stroud finally looked like a rookie, losing to fumbles and throwing a pick in what was by far the most turnover-prone game of his NFL career.

But with the game on the line, Stroud snapped into focus and arguably entered himself into the MVP conversation. The Houston Texans rookie took the offense 55 yards in 1:33 to set up a game-winning Matt Ammendola field goal in their 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

"I made this game a little harder than it needed to be, turning it over," Stroud said after the game, per Peter King of NBC Sports. "But it in this league, it's hard. It's hard to get wins. We're all good. Today, I loved the attention on us. Everybody's watching to see if the Texans can come to a tough place and win. I love that. I love the attention. I love the pressure. That's the thing about our team—I'm telling you, we don't go into any game thinking we can't win, we won't win. I'm not made that way."

Stroud is in the midst of one of the finest rookie seasons for a quarterback in NFL history. He's thrown for 2,626 yards and 15 touchdowns against two interceptions, sitting second behind Sam Howell in terms of passing yards. The Texans are an impressive 5-4, giving them more wins than they had each of the last three seasons.

What's most impressive is that Stroud has not been schemed like a rookie quarterback. The Texans offense is built on explosive plays, with only Brock Purdy and Tua Tagovailoa averaging more yards per attempt this season. Stroud is also behind only Purdy and Tagovailoa in terms of air yards per attempt, so he's not been reliant on receivers making plays after the catch.

If Stroud manages to lead the Texans to the playoffs and continues his stellar play, he deserves to continue emerging as a viable MVP candidate. Jim Brown is the only rookie to ever win the NFL MVP.