Through all of the chatter about the Texans early-season meltdown and the talk about whether C.J. Stroud is a franchise quarterback or worthy of a mega contract extension, the Texans fourth-year quarterback is methodically putting together a masterful response.
Much like the man himself, Stroud’s performances have been understated but very much on point. His latest installment of setting the record straight came Sunday during the Texans’ second-straight win – a 34-31 victory over AFC South-leading Jacksonville in London.
Stroud put forth another strong performance, completing 24 of 34 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns while completing passes to 10 different receivers. His detractors, of course, will focus on the late-game interception instead of his resilience in leading the two-minute offense for the game-winning 49-yard field goal by kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn as time expired.
But the people who matter most in Stroud’s success have nothing but great confidence in his ability to lead this team and pull them out of the abyss of a 0-4 start.
“C.J.’s been hot all year. He’s still hot. He’s lighting it up,” said Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, who is usually a little more subdued in his praise of his players. “He’s dishing the ball around to a lot of different people. It doesn’t matter who it is. Everybody who has an opportunity they’re all here. They’re getting the football.
“He’s doing an outstanding job of just leading his offense.”
That was clearly the case against the Jaguars when most thought the outcome would be settled in overtime. But that wasn’t the thinking of Stroud or the offense.
Stroud knew he had committed a costly mistake in the fourth quarter, but he was still betting on himself and his ability to bring the Texans back. And he did.
“Yeah, of course I don’t want to make that mistake, but I thought I was playing well,” Stroud said. “I thought I was playing really good and putting the ball where I need to put it. I just made a mistake, and I’ve learned in my life I’ve got to flush my failures, flush my successes, and just move on.”
And keep moving forward.
That was the message the 25-year-old delivered to his head coach on the sideline immediately after that potentially costly interception, his first of the season, by the way. He had flushed that mistake and was ready to lead the offense to victory if given the opportunity.
“C.J. was still under control,” Ryans said. “Even the interception, it could be — it’s a huge letdown. You don’t want that to happen, but to see C.J. and see his resolve, his mindset was, `Hey, I got you, Coach. Don’t worry about it.’ When a player tells me that, that just gives me the confidence that I need. Hey, we’re right back in this thing.
“He understands the mistakes he made as soon as it happened. Didn’t want it to happen, but look at the way he responded, and [he] responded in an outstanding way, leading the two-minute drive there to set us up for a game-winning field goal.”
Suddenly, a team that looked like there was no hope two weeks ago is back in the AFC South contending conversation, which would make the Texans just the second NFL team to go from 0-4 to the playoffs. The understated but precise performance of their quarterback has everything to do with this growing conversation.
Stroud is having a remarkable season with 1,714 yards, nine touchdowns, and one interception while completing better than 65% of his passes. His pocket presence and decision-making are off the charts at this point.
He didn’t just start playing well, either.
Stroud has quietly been putting together a credible season even as the Texans and their defense are still trying to figure things out, even when the offensive line was still shaky, and All-Pro receiver Nico Collins was sidelined with an injury.
But it was all being taken for granted because most fans were still suffering from PTSD after the way last season ended. Stroud will be the first to tell you that he needed to be better. But what you will never hear from him is that it’s never easy coming back from a concussion, and that it was a work in progress to get him and new offensive coordinator Nick Caley on the same page.
Fully healed and with Stroud and Caley now completely in sync, we are seeing the growth we thought would be a given every season, three years ago, when he turned in a sensational rookie campaign. Many say he looks more like he did as a rookie.
He looks better and more determined, like a seasoned veteran.
What Stroud is proving with every game is that he is indeed a franchise quarterback capable of leading the Texans. The fourth-year quarterback, who is contractually tied to Houston through the 2027 season, is worthy of a $60 million deal.
If general manager Nick Caserio and ownership won’t get a deal done, trust that some other productive quarterback-starved franchises will. Texans fans seem to take for granted that in his first three seasons, all he did was lead a franchise that had been out of the playoff picture for a minute to three AFC South titles, three playoff appearances, and a win in each of those appearances.
There are a lot of NFL franchises that would gladly stand in line to capture that kind of immediate success.
In the meantime, let’s recognize the outstanding comeback story Stroud is writing this season. It’s really only the beginning, as we are witnessing the construction of a dangerous receiving core that includes Collins, the continued maturation of Jaylin Noel, last week’s addition of Stroud’s Ohio State teammate Marvin Harrison Jr., and always reliable tight end target Dalton Schultz.
The offensive line and the ground attack are still a bit of a work in progress, but with a steady leader, the Texans have a chance. That isn’t to suggest there will be total perfection for the rest of the season.
“I’ve got all the hope in our team,” Stroud said after his team moved to 2-4 on the season with the New York Giants set to come into Reliant Stadium on Sunday. “I think our team has got a lot of guys who are mentally and physically tough. It’s not always overnight. I think the best thing we’ve done is just keep it in-house and make sure that we’re locked in on one another.”
