Colin Cowherd grilled by fans after viral take on C. J. Stroud resurfaces: "How does this m*ron still get air time?"

Houston Texans quarterback C. J. Stroud capped off his incredible rookie season with a sensational performance in his team's Week 18 win against the Indianapolis Colts. He completed 20 of 26 pass attempts for 264 yards and two touchdowns to help the Texans beat the Colts 23-19 and end their four-year wait for a playoff appearance.

Stroud finished his rookie season with 4,108 passing yards, 23 touchdown passes, 167 rushing yards, and three rushing touchdowns. More impressively, the rookie quarterback has thrown only five interceptions. He'll play in his first playoff game during Super Wild Card Weekend.

Before the season, Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd showed little faith in Stroud. On the August 8th, 2023, episode of The Herd, the analyst said:

“CJ Stroud is just not talented enough to overcome the Houston Texans’ nonsense. But if you told me today, on August 8, Tuesday, that I had to pick one (rookie first-round QB) that would miss, I would probably pick CJ Stroud from all the things I’ve heard in camp.”

Stroud's emphatic reply to Cowherd prompted fans to reshare the clip and call out the analyst on social media. Here are some of the comments:

To Cowherd's credit, he had already changed his tune midway through the season. After the Texans' win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Cowherd said:

"The big winner is not just the Houston Texans or C.J. Stroud. Another big winner is the NFL. We have another great quarterback."

CJ Stroud and Puka Nacua to battle for Rookie of the Year

Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua

CJ Stroud's incredible rookie season is likely to earn him a Rookie of the Year or the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. The race is between him and the Los Angeles Rams' sensational rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua.

The young stars have taken the league by storm in their debut season. Nacua broke the record for the catches and receiving yards for a rookie, while Stroud threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns and led the Texans to the playoffs for the first time in four years.

Stroud and Nacua will likely split the two awards. However, quarterbacks usually get the preference when it comes to individual awards. So it's safe to assume that Stroud will pick up the 2023 Rookie of the Year award at the NFL Honors show.

However, the Texans quarterback won't be worried about the award. He'll focus on preparing for his playoff debut next week.