After starting the 2025 NFL season with three straight losses, the Houston Texans looked like they had regressed and could potentially be in for a long season filled with disappointment.
However, things have turned around for C.J. Stroud and company, with the team only losing two more games since dropping the first three matchups of the 2025 campaign. It’s been a drastic turnaround for the Texans, who have won four straight games and are making some noise in a highly competitive AFC South division.
C.J. Stroud Leads Texans to Big Win Over Colts
GettyC.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans.
After missing the last three games due to a concussion, Stroud was able to make his return to the field to replace Davis Mills, who helped lead the team to three wins in the star quarterback’s absence.
Although Stroud was a bit rusty in his return, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans praised the efforts of his starter against a tough Indianapolis Colts squad.
“I thought C.J. did a really nice job coming back (after) missing a lot of time,” Ryans said in his postgame press conference on Sunday. “I know some throws he would like to have back, but overall, I thought he managed the drives really well. Of course, we want to score on some of those. We get down and had to kick field goals, but overall, from him coming back, not having played in a few weeks here, I thought he did a really nice job.
“If this is where he’s starting, it’s only up for him. I’m excited to see how he continues to progress.”
Stroud completed 22 passes for 276 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. These aren’t stellar numbers, but they were enough to get the Texans another win while making the AFC South divisional race that much more interesting moving forward.
Battle for AFC South Title Heating Up
GettyDaniel Jones #17 of the Indianapolis Colts and C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans.
With the Texans now riding a four-game win streak, Houston has made things interesting in the AFC South, which could come down to the wire in terms of who emerges with the division title and secures their spot in the NFL playoffs.
After Sunday’s win against the division-rival Colts, Stroud opened up about what has changed for the Texans at this point in the season, now that they’ve found some momentum.
“Our defense has always held us up,” Stroud said during his postgame press conference. “I know they’ll always say they want to clean things up as well, but as an offense, I think that’s the key. If we want to win games in the NFL, you have to score in the red zone. I thought these last couple of games, our offense has been able to do that at a higher level.”
Along with the Texans coming out on top against the Colts, which improves Houston’s record to 7-5, the Jacksonville Jaguars secured a win against the Tennessee Titans, improving their record to 8-4.
It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out from here on out and which team comes out on top in this battle for the AFC South crown.
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