How Houston Texans dominant performance means something much bigger
TEXANS ON TAP
25 September
The Houston Texans went into Jacksonville on Sunday as big underdogs and looking for their first win of the season. And CJ Stroud and company did not disappoint.
Houston won the game 37-17 behind another impressive performance from Stroud, who once again did not throw an interception. Stroud got the ball out quickly, and took a couple calculated deep shots to Tank Dell, that eventually led to 14 points for the offense.
Behind a banged up offensive line, Stroud managed not to get sacked, and appears to be the real deal after just three games. Houston's offense under Bobby Slowik looked faster and more crisp this week, which should have Texans fans excited about the growth of this young team.
In past years, this would be a situation where the Texans got too conservative, and let the opponent back in the game. It's early, but this feels like a new and improved version of the team. They were looking to win the game, as opposed to trying not to lose it. The coaching staff was comfortable relying on Stroud to pass the ball to put the game out of reach.
Scoring on a kick return certainly played a role in the victory, but that shouldn't overshadow Stroud's poise in the second half.
The running game struggled for most of the day, so Houston had to rely on their rookie QB to keep the offense on track. The most important development from the game has to be the realization that the Texans have found their franchise QB.
DeMeco Ryans' defense should also be commended for keeping Trevor Lawrence in check. They weren't able to sack him, but they kept enough pressure on him to hold their offense to 17 points, allowing the Texans offense to put the game away.
Be sure to watch the video above as we break down all the action from Sunday, and discuss just how bright the future looks with CJ Stroud taking snaps for the Texans.
Don't miss Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) every Monday on SportsMap Texans' YouTube channel.
How Texans' CJ Stroud got the last laugh on Panthers entire organization
Nov 30, 2023, 4:56 pm
When Bryce Young and CJ Stroud were drafted with the first two picks of the NFL Draft, we knew they would be compared to one another for years to come.
And here we are just 11 games into the season and one quarterback has already seen his head coach fired. Panthers owner David Tepper spoke to the media on Wednesday and discussed his decision to fire Frank Reich, and also set the record straight on how they arrived at the decision to draft Young.
In so many words, Tepper basically blamed the Texans for how the top of the draft played out. He mentioned Stroud by name and said the Panthers were ready to draft him at No. 2 overall until the Texans backed out of the three-team trade with the Bears.
Tepper made a point of saying everyone in their building had Bryce Young as the top player on their draft board, despite rumors about Frank Reich preferring Stroud.
CJ Stroud and the Texans have been so much better than Bryce Young and the Panthers that Tepper clearly felt it was necessary to defend himself, and the decisions he's made for the organization.
In the end, the person that gets the worst end of the deal is Bryce Young. Coaching changes can be very difficult on young quarterbacks. And it looks like he'll have to learn a new offense in his second year when the Panthers hire a new coaching staff.
How fortunate we are as Texans fans to have DeMeco Ryans and CJ Stroud leading the team moving forward.
With all of this in mind, is there a reason Texans fans haven't fully bought in to the new-look Texans? JJ Watt was a guest on The Pat McAfee Show this week and was asked about the team's inability to fill the stadium on Sundays.
As a former player for the Colts, McAfee always thought Houston had the loudest and best fans in the NFL. And while the Texans are 9th in attendance this year according to ESPN, even CJ Stroud has asked for the fans to fill the stadium.
So there is something to it. You can see the empty seats in photos. So why aren't the Texans packing NRG with a shiny new franchise QB?
We believe the recent history of the team is why fans are slowly coming back. McAfee wasn't here for:
Bill O'Brien cussing at fans during games
Trading DeAndre Hopkins away for next to nothing
The Jack Easterby disaster
Deshaun Watson allegedly blaming ownership for why he wanted out
The Deshaun Watson scandal
Firing back-to-back coaches after one season, and the list goes on.
Don't miss the video above for the full conversation!
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