Peyton Manning, a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, defended C.J. Stroud after the former Ohio State star took some criticism following his second season in the NFL.
During an appearance at Fanatics Fest in New York, Manning pointed out that Stroud has twice led the Houston Texas to the playoffs, including wins in both years in the AFC wild-card round.
“Let’s be careful saying it was a down year,” Manning said. “I didn’t win a playoff game until my sixth year.”
Before Stroud was drafted by Houston with the No. 2 pick in 2023, the franchise had last made the postseason in 2019.
Stroud, who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and was also the league’s offensive rookie of the year, threw more than twice as many interceptions in the following year.
He finished 2023 with 4,108 passing yards and 23 touchdowns and five interceptions. He threw for 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024.
The Texans fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik after last season.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Peyton Manning defends ex-Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud for ‘down year’ in second NFL season
Reporting by Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
