Despite ending up on the wrong side of history in their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on “Monday Night Football” and alarm bells are ringing as they fell to 0-2 on the season, C.J. Stroud is urging his Houston Texans to stay the course.
Stroud is also calling for better from his teammates and himself after what was an explosive start to the contest petered out as the game wore on.
The question is whether the Texans have provided Stroud enough potential solutions or not.
C.J. Stroud Calls for ‘Hard Conversations’ as Texans Ping on ‘Panic Meter’
GettyC.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans signals against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Stroud completed 54.2% of his passes for 207 yards and 1 touchdown in the Texans’ loss. He took to the podium after the 20-19 defeat, remarking on how the Texans will face criticism after their offense struggled once again and their highly touted defense cracked late.
“As a team, we got to just stay together. Everybody’s going to talk crazy, and [say] we suck. We this, we that. And at the end of the day, we got to stay together and just mesh well, and be honest, have our hard conversations. But I think right now we need more confidence as a offense at least. Just confident playing better together, I think that’s a big thing,” Stroud told reporters on September 15.
“We haven’t played together, a lot of us. So, the more confidence that we build, I think the better that we’ll be off.”
Stroud was not intercepted, but he was sacked 3 more times, bringing his season total to 6.
That confidence could be difficult for Stroud and the Texans’ offense to come by, given what he has around him.
NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha believes the Texans are in a “serious hole” and warrant “panic.”
“The schedule won’t do Houston any favors, either,” Chadiha wrote on September 15. “In other words, the Texans had better start stringing some wins together in a hurry. It already looks like they won’t be favored in that many games as we move deeper into the season.”
Texans’ Offseason Approach Scrutinized
GettyHouston Texans general manager Nick Caserio walks the field before a game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Texans are heading for a crossroads with Stroud, who will be extension-eligible after this season. With a potentially historic deal on the line, the Texans surely want to know whether Stroud is the game-changing player he appeared to be as a rookie or the 2024 version.
Amid injuries to his playmakers, the Texans face questions about their plan around Stroud.
“It’s more than fair to question if the #Texans invested enough on offense this past offseason. At this point, it doesn’t look like it,” Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander posted on X as time began to run out on the Texans in the game. “Because while the mindset and coaching may be better, the talent clearly isn’t.”
Stroud took 52 sacks in 2024, the second-most in the league behind Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears. Things looked eerily similar too often on Monday night.
Since last season, the Texans have changed left tackles twice, trading Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders this offseason, signing Cam Robinson in free agency to replace him, then replacing the newcomer with rookie second-round pick Aireontae Ersery.
Stroud did not have his starting center in this contest, further underscoring the shuffling that has occurred over the first two weeks of the season.
Changes for the Worse Constant for C.J. Stroud
GettyC.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans scrambles against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Stroud is missing a favorite target in Tank Dell, who is recovering from a knee injury. Offseason trade pickup and supposed slot weapon Christian Kirk works his way back from a hamstring issue.
The Texans’ two rookie receivers – Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel – logged fewer than half of the offensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference.
Moreover, running back Joe Mixon is on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list (PUP) with a foot injury, and the Texans are down multiple tight ends.
Notably, though, the Texans also began Stroud’s rookie season with a 0-2 mark.
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