HOUSTON, TX- SEPTEMBER 29: Houston Texans fans hold Texans signs while the Houston Texans are introduced before playing against the Seattle Seahawks on September 29, 2013 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images)
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are on top, but C.J. Stroud and the Texans are already knocking
Any story of a great, unexpected rise starts with a humble beginning. In that sense, perhaps C.J. Stroud could thank the Baltimore Ravens.
When Stroud came to Baltimore back in Week 1, he was humbled. Though he threw for 242 yards, he was sacked five times by a Ravens defense that posed a nearly unfair challenge for a No. 2 draft pick making his career debut.
Even so, he manufactured enough moments that made the Ravens defense feel, for all their success against the rookie, that they had been lucky to get him so early.
“That guy,” linebacker Patrick Queen said of Stroud, “he’s going to be a great quarterback coming up.”
Even Queen might not have predicted a rise this sudden. On Saturday, the likely Offensive Rookie of the Year will lead Houston into Baltimore, hoping this season’s hero’s journey continues to roll on. After shredding the NFL’s top pass defense in a 45-14 thrashing of the Cleveland Browns, Stroud became the youngest quarterback to win an NFL playoff game, surpassing a mark once set by his idol Michael Vick.
In one sense, the Texans granted the Ravens freedom from one kind of trauma: The prospect of former franchise quarterback Joe Flacco making a playoff visit to Baltimore while playing for an AFC North rival was a tough idea to swallow.
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Texans place Noah Brown on injured reserve
The Texans placed wide receiver Noah Brown on injured reserve Monday, the team announced. It ends Brown’s season.
Brown injured a shoulder in the wild-card playoff win over the Browns on Saturday. He had only five snaps and one target before leaving.
Brown was on injured reserve earlier this season with a groin injury and also has had a back injury that kept him out.
He finishes the season with 33 receptions for a career-best 567 yards and two touchdowns.
Brown is scheduled for free agency in March.
He spent his first five seasons in Dallas before signing with Houston in the offseason.
