Is C.J. Stroud still among the top passers in the NFL entering the bye week?
Stroud, perhaps the one constant for a strugglingHouston Texans team, had arguably his worst game of the season, yet still wasn't the biggest problem in a 27-21 overtime loss to the New York Giants at Reliant Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Against the Giants' secondary, Stroud went 17-of-28 passing (60.7%) for 153 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. He was only sacked once, but only converted 25% of his third-down plays.
For the season, Stroud has been averaging over 300 yards per game. He has thrown only one interception and been credited with three turnovers, two of which came back in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. On Sunday, it was plenty of short passes for
quick gains in hopes of avoiding the pressure, though he did connect three times on 20-plus-yard throws for Tank Dell and Kayshon Boutte.
Stroud also found newcomer Marvin Harrison Jr.for a 6-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, marking the first scoring drive between the two since their time at Ohio State. Stroud also found Xaiver Hutchinson late in the fourth quarter for a 3-yard touchdown grab to tie the game at 21 and send it into overtime.
After betting on himself and waiting for a larger deal, Stroud continues to emerge as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL during the 2026 season. Here's a look at where Stroud lands among the rest of the NFL quarterbacks in Total QBR after Week 7, per ESPN.
NFL quarterbacks (including Bears' Caleb Williams) ranked by Total QBR in Week 8
- Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears: 79.6
- Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers: 79.6
- Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: 77.2
- Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: 77.1
- Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: 76.6
- Drake Maye, New England Patriots: 76.3
- C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans: 68.6
- Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: 67.2
- Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons: 67.1
- Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams: 65.7
- Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders: 64.8
- Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravnes: 64.8
- Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: 64.6
- Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers: 63.8
- Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins: 63.7
- Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: 63.4
- Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints: 62.4
- Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers: 60.5
- Geno Smith, New York Jets: 57.8
- Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: 57.5
- Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders: 57.2
- Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals: 53.6
- Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks: 53.4
- Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers: 49.8
- Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings: 45.8
- Bo Nix, Denver Broncos: 45.2
- Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns: 43.9
- Jameis Winston, New York Giants: 41.3
- Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans: 41.2
- Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 41.0
- Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts: 40.3
- Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: 29.3
Stroud will have a two-week break to build on his successful season before taking on the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 8 at SoFi Stadium. Houston will be looking for its third win of the year and enough mojo to turn the season back around before it's too late.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: 32 NFL QBs (including Texans' C.J. Stroud) ranked by QBR in Week 8
