Bengals QB Joe Burrow receives added motivation ahead of matchup with Texans' C.J. Stroud
Everyone can agree that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is playing up to his standard now that he's fully healed from his calf injury. Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is also playing at a high level for rookie starter.But is the rookie already ahead of the vet? That's a bold claim to make. NFL.com's Nick […]
Everyone can agree that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is playing up to his standard now that he's fully healed from his calf injury. Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is also playing at a high level for rookie starter.
But is the rookie already ahead of the vet? That's a bold claim to make.
NFL.com's Nick Shook was the one to make it this week as he had Stroud leapfrogging Burrow in his latest QB index, which ranks starting QBs on a week-to-week basis. Stround jumped six spots in his rankings and is now No. 7, two spots in front of Burrow.
Just in time for them to face off on the field.
First off, credit is due to Stroud. He's coming off an incredible performance for just his eighth NFL start, setting an NFL rookie record for most passing yards in a single game with 470. Five touchdowns, including the game-winner in the last seconds of the game, came out of it as well.
Stroud is averaging over eight yards per attempt and has thrown 14 touchdowns to just one interception. His efficiency is spectacular, and he's doing it all on a team that's been bad for the past few years.
A quick look at the stats will point towards Stroud > Burrow, but is that simply all that goes into these rankings? Especially now that Burrow has been playing high-level ball for the past four weeks? His rough patch during the first four weeks were clearly caused by his injury and inability to push off his right leg, even if he won't admit it.
One thing the traditional stats don't show is how lucky Stroud has been compared to Burrow. Pro Football Focus has charted eight turnover worthy plays for Stroud thus far, and only one of them has resulted in an interception. Burrow's credited with five TWPs (his TWP% of 1.4% is the lowest in the league for starters) and he's thrown four interceptions.
Stroud has a place near the top of the list for what he's been doing as a rookie, but a healthy Burrow is simply one of the very best quarterbacks in the world. Stroud has a ways to go in proving he belongs in that tier, though he's certainly on his way.
CJ Stroud makes strong statement about Joe Burrow ahead of Texans vs Bengals matchup
Two former Buckeyes will go head to head this weekend
