Week 4 saw the best of C.J. Stroud as he led the Houston Texans to their first win of the season, a 26-0 shutout of the Tennessee Titans, and it may have also provided the ideal snapshot of what the new offense can be when it is firing as intended.
Stroud completed 22 of 28 passes for 233 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions in the victory.
In a sense, Stroud was surgical in working with what he was presented from play to play.
C.J. Stroud: Texans’ Offense ‘Death By 1,000 Cuts’
GettyC.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans celebrates a win against the Tennessee Titans.
Stroud’s 8.3 yards per pass attempt are his 15th-fewest in 25 games with 200-plus passing yards, per Stathead. But Stroud spoke candidly about the dink-and-dunk approach and how it opens up opportunities for bigger plays later in the game.
He spoke specifically about a 37-yard completion to Nico Collins.
“The way teams are playing us, and the way our offense is kind of built, is just death by a thousand cuts,” Stroud told reporters during his postgame media availability on September 28. “Taking what the defense gives me. And then finally, I think after you hit a big play, or like a big play comes, is when everything kind of opens up. So, I feel like that’s what happened.
“Big plays like that definitely give us energy that we need going forward. I think it just – sometimes it’s that one play that kicks it off to get everything rolling. We kind of had that my rookie year.”
“Sometimes it just takes that one play, that one drive, that one point of emphasis to finally hit to finally get the things rolling that we know that we can do,” Stroud said. “I think that’s kind of the cool thing about playing football is, it’s different every year. It’s different every game, and you just got to find the niche. And I think, maybe, hopefully, I did that. But we got to just go back to practice, and continue to get better.”
Collins finished the game with four receptions for 79 yards, a notable day after his back-and-forth in the media with Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
However, he was hardly the only reason for Stroud and the Texans’ big day.
C.J. Stroud Praises Texans Rookies
GettyWoody Marks #27 and C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans celebrate a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.
Stroud and the Texans got big performances from rookies Jayden Higgins and, especially, Woody Marks.
Higgins caught his first NFL touchdown on his lone target and reception of the day, hitting pay dirt on a 24-yarder. Marks turned his 17 carries into 69 yards and a touchdown, adding another 50 yards and 1 TD on four receptions.
Stroud was praised for offensive coordinator Nick Caley and running back Nick Chubb.
He also lauded the tight ends, offensive line, and receivers in general. But he was effusive with his comments about Higgins and Marks, picks Nos. 34 and 106 overall in the 2025 draft.
“I was a really big fan of Woody in college, when he was at USC. Thought he was really elusive, really crafty, and I thought he did a good job since those days in that Lincoln Riley offense. And I thought today we kind of used him in that light. Spread him out, gave him some familiarity running the ball and some plays that he’s ran before, and he’s a very dynamic pass catcher. But yeah, he did great,” Stroud said.
“Hig is a dog. He’s somebody who was very elusive, great route running. And him one-on-one, a lot of times – he’s big, and he’s fast, tall – that’s a mismatch. So, he did a great job on that touchdown play, and he just continues to get better every week, and I think [Jaylin Noel]’s same thing. A lot of our rookies are doing great. Tae [Aireontae Ersery] had a great game. So, a lot of the guys that are doing big things in their first year, it’s going to be huge for us.”
Up next for Stroud and the Texans in Week 5 is a road game against the Baltimore Ravens, who lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4.
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