HOUSTON – – On Sunday, the Houston Texans (9-7) knew what was on the line against divisional foe Tennessee Titans (5-11).
Win, and their playoff chances were still in their control. They lose, and the team could start preparing for the offseason due to the amount of help they would need from other teams to advance to the postseason.
It’s a good thing the Texans had “Lucky Number 7” back for the game.
Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud returned after missing two games due to being placed in the NFL concussion protocol and led Houston to a 26-3 win over the Titans to set up a “Win or go home” situation in Week 18, when they travel to Indianapolis next week to take on the Colts who currently own the tiebreaker over the Texans.
“I felt like I was kind of back to the old me in the first drive,” Stroud said during his postgame press conference. “The first pass we completed and from there on…that first drive, I felt fine and great. I felt like I was seeing it (field) really well and was making the right reads and right decisions. I think Bobby [Slowik] had a great game plan, and we just kind of took what the defense gave us.”
Stroud had a decent return with 213 yards passing and one touchdown as he methodically wore down the Titan’s defense with multiple scoring drives that lasted over five minutes, including a 13-play, 94-yard touchdown drive that took over seven minutes off the clock in the second quarter.
"I felt like I was kind of back to the old me in the first drive," Stroud said during his postgame press conference. "The first pass we completed and from there on…that first drive, I felt fine and great.” #Texans #Sarge #TexansWire pic.twitter.com/gjxGgL300m
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) December 31, 2023
“Those long drives do wear a defense down a little bit, and we were able to sustain that,” said Stroud, who finished the day with no turnovers. “Putting those drives together sets a tone. It was cool just to see us have positive drives. The main thing is that we didn’t take a step back and that was really big in our keys to victory.”
As the odds-on favorite to win the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year with 3,844 yards passing, 21 touchdowns, and five interceptions, the only thing left for Stroud, the second overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft, to do now is lead a Texans team that many believed would finish last in the division and at the bottom of the NFL standings for the fourth consecutive season to the postseason.
His teammates believe that it is possible, with Stroud calling the plays and everyone doing their jobs, and it started with the victory over the Titans.
“It felt good to have your dawg back out there,” said Texans wide receiver Nico Collins. “Having back out there meant a lot. Seeing him back out there dropping dimes [passes], being himself meant a lot to this offense and this team.”