Despite the Houston Texans being without Nico Collins and Christian Kirk, star quarterback C.J. Stroud still would have a productive outing, leading to the 26-15 win over the San Francisco 49ers. After the Texans had a dreadful offensive game against the Seattle Seahawks, Stroud bounced back hugely, garnering huge praise from head coach DeMeco Ryans.
In the win over the 49ers, Stroud threw for 318 yards to go along with two touchdowns and one interception while completing 30 out of 39 pass attempts. Ryans would speak about Stroud's outing, even going as far as to say that it was “one of his best games ever” and that when he's excelling, “the vibe of our entire sideline just changes,” according to Click2Houston.
“When C.J. [Stroud] is locked in, when the quarterback is playing well and C.J. plays well and he’s upbeat and everybody can see he’s going to the right spot with the football, he’s making great decisions, stepping up, escaping the pocket, converting some runs there, converting some third downs, you just see the entire energy, the vibe of our entire sideline just changes,” Stroud said.
As the No. 2 overall pick from the 2023 NFL Draft is in his third season, he has thrown for 1,623 yards to go along with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Texans' DeMeco Ryans on one of C.J. Stroud's best games ever
While the football world speculates whether the Texans should trade for players to boost their offense, the main engine is no doubt Stroud, as how he performs dictates the production of the team. Ryans would echo the same sentiment and even mention his composure off the field that brings Houston together, once again claiming that Sunday was one of Stroud's best games ever.
“Everybody is looking for the quarterback for that leadership,” Ryans said of Stroud. “It’s just about nothing special or nothing grand. It’s just about him remaining disciplined as a quarterback, doing exactly what he’s supposed to do on every given play.”
“When he does that, he makes great decisions and with the offensive line the way they worked today, that’s what you see: one of his best games ever,” Ryans continued. “The way he operated today was very clean football, and I’m proud of where he is. We just have to continue to stay with this every week.”
At any rate, the Texans are now 3-4 and look to build a winning streak when they take on the Denver Broncos next Sunday.
