How Houston Texans dominant performance means something much bigger
TEXANS ON TAP
25 September 2023
TEXANS ON TAP
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.
Jalen Green made eight 3-pointers and scored 38 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 109-94 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in a testy matchup to even the first-round Western Conference series at one game apiece.
30 PTS through 3 quarters 🔥@JalenGreen https://t.co/Qj2MAu16Yz
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) April 24, 2025
The seventh-seeded Warriors never led and played short-handed for most of the night after Jimmy Butler left with a pelvis contusion after a hard fall on a foul late in the first quarter.
Green, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft, rebounded from a flop in his playoff debut, when he scored just seven points on 3-of-15 shooting, with a dominant Game 2.
His eight 3-pointers were two more than the No. 2-seeded Rockets made on 6-of-29 shooting in a 95-85 Game 1 loss.
𝙏𝙐𝙁𝙁 step 🔙 pic.twitter.com/xGcq0fgwcX
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) April 24, 2025
Alperen Sengun had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Rockets. Tari Eason had 14 points off the bench.
𝙥𝙤𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🍿@alperennsengun pic.twitter.com/ll5Pge7R3q
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) April 24, 2025
Game 2 is Saturday night at Golden State.
Stephen Curry had 20 points and nine assists for the Warriors and become the 11th player in NBA history to reach 4,000 career playoff points with 4,017.
Houston led by 20 with about 10 minutes left before the Warriors used a 9-0 run, with two 3s from Quinten Post, run to get within 11. Jalen Green was called for a flagrant foul on Draymond Green at the end of that run after he flailed an arm into his face.
The Rockets then used an 8-0 spurt, highlighted by a step-back 3 from Green, to extend the lead to 99-80 with 5 ½ minutes remaining. Draymond Green received a technical foul in that stretch for arguing with officials and Eason received one for throwing a towel in an “unsportsmanlike manner.”
The loss of Butler, acquired from Miami in a February trade, was a huge blow to the Warriors after he had 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the series opener. On top of Butler’s injury, the Warriors were also hampered by Brandin Podziemski’s stomach ailment.
He missed most of the first half dealing with the problem and was scoreless in 14 minutes after scoring 14 points in Game 1.
Final Thoughts
Vanessa Richardson was joined by Sengun after the big win!
“I was telling him, we’ve earned this.”
Tonight, in their fourth season, Alperen Sengun & Jalen Green win their first playoff game. @SpaceCityHN | @HoustonRockets #Liftoff pic.twitter.com/56OctjGAgU
— Vanessa Richardson (@SportsVanessa) April 24, 2025