Myles Garrett of the Browns offers a “exceptional” critique of CJ Stroud following the Texans’ convincing victory.

When the 60 minutes were done, the Cleveland Browns Dawg Pound had to put their collective tail between their legs because they had lost 45-14 to the upstart Houston Texans. The Browns had entered NRG Stadium on Saturday afternoon as the road favorite.

The Texans outperformed the Browns on both sides of the ball. Houston’s defense opened the floodgates in a game that Houston was already expected to win when they tallied pick-sixes against Browns quarterback Joe Flacco on consecutive possessions in the third quarter. And they were headed for victory because CJ Stroud, the rookie quarterback starting in his first postseason game, never once looked like a quarterback.

A season low for the rookie quarterback, CJ Stroud only needed to throw the ball 21 times to end with 274 yards, three touchdowns, a near-perfect passer rating, and a few “Good God! Look at the throw!” throws. Sometimes I think of Ken Griffey Jr. swinging a baseball bat when I see CJ Stroud toss a football.

It has an easy elegance about it that is uncommon, particularly coming from a rookie who most pundits predicted would experience some growing pains during his first NFL season.