This season began rocky for C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans, as they dropped three close games to begin the campaign. After their second straight win, though, this time beating the Baltimore Ravens, Stroud has seemingly hit his stride, and he drew a mention from the NFL.
Stroud and the Texans performed so well, in fact, that the No. 2 overall pick of the 2023 draft did not even finish the game, ceding duties to backup Davis Mills.
In the end, the Texans left Baltimore with a 44-10 victory over the Ravens.
C.J. Stroud Sends Clear Message After Texans Make History vs Ravens
GettyC.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans celebrates a touchdown pass against the Baltimore Ravens.
Stroud finished with 244 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions on 85.1% completion against the Ravens in Week 5. The 2023 Pro Bowler and Offensive Rookie of the Year added another 30 yards on one carry.
It was Stroudâs second career game with at least four TD passes. It was also the Texansâ first win in Baltimore in franchise history, and Stroud earned recognition from the league for it.
Stroud was clear about the win, his performance, and what made it all possible.
âOur O-lineman did a great job, and thatâs where it starts. I think Iâm one of the best when I get the time and I can deal it out, and our O-line did amazing this game. And when that happens, Cales [offensive coordinator Nick Caley] is calling a great game, and our receivers running really good routes. Weâve been getting better at practice every week, and I think thatâs where you see the growth. But yeah, it really starts with them,â Stroud told reporters on October 5.
âStill got to clean some things up, but Iâm happy with the win. Very grateful just to really have an opportunity to play in Baltimore again, get a dub. First time in our organizationâs history to win up here. So, God is great, man. Itâs just amazing to be on this team, in his locker room. And so, all the things that we need to get better, weâll get better. But itâs good to enjoy it.â
C.J. Stroud Kept 2024 Loss to Ravens in Mind
GettyC.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans waits to take the field against the Baltimore Ravens.
Stroud had faced the Ravens twice before Sunday. He lost both previous meetings and posted a 427-0-1 line on 60% completion while absorbing 10 sacks. The Ravens beat the Texans 31-2 in Week 17, and Stroud said he had not forgotten about it.
Stroud acknowledged that the Ravens entered Sundayâs contest incredibly short-handed, but noted the Texans were in the same position last season.
Texans rookie Jaylin Smith, who is on injured reserve, shared a GIF of Stroud postgame.
Stroud enjoyed the measure of revenge he and the Texans got.
âI think in the back of your mind, itâs always there. That we really havenât had success against these guys in a long time. But I think itâs the preparation that gets the win,â Stroud said. âWe prepared our tails off this week. I thought our preparation â from practice to meetings to walkthroughs, everything â was really crisp, on point.
âIt doesnât matter whoâs out there when you have that type of preparation. Of course, theyâre missing guys. Thatâs obvious. And I think theyâll be just fine once they get their guys back. But I think itâs just big because we had the same problem last year when we played them. We had a lot of guys out on Christmas Day, and they gave us a old-fashioned [whooping]. So, I think itâs cool to kind of come back here and kind of do the same thing. But I think the motivation is just to prepare the right way, and then play each play [like youâre trying to go] 1-0.â
Texans Send Message About C.J. Stroud
GettyC.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans drops back to pass against the Baltimore Ravens.
Stroud said after the game that spreading the ball around was part of the Texansâ âkeys to victory,â not just in this game, but every week.
âJust gonna leave this right here,â the Texans posted on X, with a graphic of Stroudâs stats.
âThat was one of our keys to victory: Sustain drives and score in the end zone, and in any way we wanted to score points,â Stroud said. So, I thought we did a good job, really, on first down and giving Cales a good opportunity to call good plays, and second-and-short, and third-and-short, and then we managed those situations really well.
âI thought those are the keys to victory every week, you know, is to be really good on first down, and you get those opportunities when you got the third-and-shorts, and you can execute a little easier when itâs third-and-short.â
Up next, Stroud and the Texans will travel west for an interconference showdown against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6.
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