A pair of gunslingers, one rookie and one veteran, have earned Offensive Player of the Week honors for Week 9. Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, dominated during his team’s wild come-from-behind win over the Tampa Bay Buccanneers. Meanwhile, Josh Dobbs, who joined the Minnesota Vikings via trade early last week, came off the bench to lead his team to a miraculous victory.
Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud: Rookie Signal-Caller Plays Unworldly, Earns AFC Offensive Player of the Week Award
C.J. Stroud won the AFC OPTW Week Award for his stellar performance last Sunday. The Ohio State product was near perfect, going 30-of-42 for 470 yards and five scores in his team’s narrow 39-37 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Stroud saved his best for last, leading the Texans on a six-play, 75-yard game-winning touchdown drive with under a minute remaining. He hit fellow rookie Tank Dell twice to finish the series, once for a 26-yard splash play and another for a 15-yard touchdown pass.
Stroud edged out a trio of AFC skill players for OPOTW honors. The Cleveland Browns’ Amari Cooper flashed excellence in his team’s 27-0 blowout win over the Arizona Cardinals, snagging five passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs scored twice while rushing for 98 yards on 26 carries. Meanwhile, Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow showed out on Sunday Night Football, throwing for 348 yards and two scores against the Buffalo Bills.
Minnesota Vikings QB Josh Dobbs: Heroics on Display in Herculean Effort
In what can only be considered the craziest storyline of the NFL season, newly acquired quarterback Josh Dobbs led the Minnesota Vikings to victory on Sunday despite joining the team earlier in the week. Dobbs got thrust into game action after starter Jaren Hall went down, and although he had taken zero first-team snaps leading up to the game, the veteran signal-caller went 20-for-30 for 158 yards and two scores. He also ran seven times for a team-high 66 yards and a touchdown.
Dobbs found wideout Brandon Powell in the endzone for the eventual game-winning touchdown with 27 seconds remaining. He went 5-of-8 in the team’s final series.
He beat out the rest of the NFC for the Offensive POTW Award, including Dallas Cowboys star receiver Ceedee Lamb. The wideout posted 11 receptions for 191 yards in a 28-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Quarterback Baker Mayfield also played well last Sunday, going 21-of-31 for 265 yards and two scores against the Texans.
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