Tag: C.J. Stroud

Watch: Texans QB C.J. Stroud finds Nico Collins for TD vs. Jaguars

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud found his top target Nico Collins to go-ahead for the first time against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Despite injuries and penalties throughout, the Houston Texans’ third drive ended in a touchdown.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud found receiver Nico Collins on third-and-goal pass ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars, 14-10.

The Texans enter the third quarter up 17-13.

Houston went into an empty set after running back Dare Ogunbowale motioned out of the backfield outside of Collins, who was matched up one-on-one with Jaguars safety Andre Cisco.

Stroud diagnosed the mismatch and connected with the league’s receiving yards leader for the go-ahead score.

The Texans needed 12 plays to march 74 yards for the score, taking over seven minutes off the clock. Houston overcame a pair of penalties, but also benefited from a Jaguars foul that provided the Texans with an automatic first down in the red zone.

Houston watched as left tackle Laremy Tunsil left the game with an ankle injury, Rookie tackle Blake Fisher filled in his spot for the remainder of the drive.

Receiver Stefon Diggs also left with an injury, but remained on the sideline.

Stroud finished the first half 15-for-20 with 218 yards and a touchdown, continuing his strong play against the Jaguars in his young career.

Collins has been the top target, hauling in five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown.

Watch: Texans WR Stefon Diggs scores first career rushing TD

The Houston Texans strike back with a touchdown run from Stevon Diggs.

Now that’s how you respond.

The Houston Texans tied Sunday’s game at 7-7 thanks to a 10-yard run from wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The play marked the four-time Pro Bowler’s first rushing touchdown of his decade-long career.

Diggs motioned into the backfield opposite Cam Akers and received a handoff from quarterback C.J. Stroud. He ran to the right and appeared to be passing.

No one was open, so he decided to tuck-and-run from from six yards out.

Houston gained 70 yards on a 9-play drive to knock nearly six minutes off the clock. Stroud, who struggled last week in a road loss to Minnesota, went 3-for-3 with 49 yards, including two passes to NFL-leading receiver Nico Collins.

Houston averaged an impressive 7.8 yards per play and already matched its point output from a week against the Minnesota Vikings. Diggs’ touchdown increases his season total to three.

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The Texans will receive the ball to begin the second half.

Texans vs. Jaguars: RB Joe Mixon ruled out against Jaguars

The Houston Texans will be without their top running back, Joe Mixon, against the Jacksonville Jaguars as he rehabs his ankle injury.

For the second straight week Cam Akers will be the Houston Texans leading running back. Already without backup Dameon Pierce, Houston ruled out Joe Mixon with a sprained ankle.

Mixon returned to practice on Friday, sparking some optimism he may return. He arrived on Sunday as a game time decision, but will not be on the field as he continues to rehab the ankle injury he sustained in Week 2.

The former Pro Bowl running back left early in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears after linebacker T.J. Edwards committed what appeared to be a hip drop tackle, which was banned by the league in the offseason. Edwards received a $16,883 fine for the play.

Mixon rushed for a team-high 184 yards in the first two weeks, including a 159-yard debut in the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Since the Texans 213 yards in Week 1, they’ve totaled just 113 on the ground.

Akers will assume lead back duties again, after rushing for 21 yards on nine attempts. Akers is in first season with Houston after previous stints with the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings.

Houston also elevated running back J.J. Taylor from the practice squad to provide more depth behind Akers and passing down back Dare Ogunbowale.

Mixon and Tank Dell are two of the offensive weapons missing for quarterback C.J. Stroud, who will attempt to lift the unit after scoring just seven points a week ago.

All-22 review: How the Jaguars can beat the Texans

All-22 review: How the Jaguars can beat the Texans

The Jacksonville Jaguars suffered one of their worst losses in recent memory in their 47-10 defeat at Buffalo on Monday night, falling to 0-3 and in a tough spot heading into another tough matchup in Houston.

The Jaguars are a mess, with injuries continuing to pile up and the coaching staff still looking for the team’s identity three weeks into the season. It has been far from the ideal start for this franchise in a season where, per owner Shad Khan, “winning now is the expectation.”

Sunday presents a Houston opponent with a young, talented roster led by quarterback C.J. Stroud. The Texans will not present an easy task but there is a way the Jaguars can either keep the game close or win outright.

Jaguars Wire reviewed the All-22 to present a couple of ways for Jacksonville to secure a victory in Houston.

Continue making WR Christian Kirk the passing offense’s focal point

Kirk started with a negative competition percentage over expected (CPOE) over the first two weeks of the season before his breakout game in Buffalo. Despite the 37-point loss, the team’s No. 1 receiver was finally utilized as one. 

Kirk finished the night with eight catches on 10 targets for 79 yards, +12.1% CPOE, +3.7 receiving expected points added (EPA) and an average target separation of 3.2 yards, according to Next Gen Stats.

Kirk is a quality route runner. He understands how to manipulate defenders with subtle movements and head fakes while attacking their leverage. His ability to create separation is why his average target separation is usually high.

The third-year Jaguar is specifically a slot receiver but that is not a flaw in his skill set. Kirk can terrorize second-level defenders with his short-area quickness and run-after-catch toolbox. This is why he was effective against Buffalo and should be a go-to target in Jacksonville’s offense going forward.

Kirk’s lack of usage early in the season likely hurt the Jaguars. The offense can be effective with Kirk as its top playmaker and target holder.

However, there is one thing that the Jaguars’ offense must do to stand a chance against the Texans…

Commit to the run and open up play-action

One of the most frustrating things about Jacksoville’s offense is its lack of identity. This is solely on the coaching staff for not putting its players in areas to succeed.

The Jaguars must start committing to the run as they have proven successful when they do.

Based on Next Gen Stats, the Jaguars are No. 7 in the NFL in rushing yards over expected, No. 3 in RYOE per attempt and No. 1 in rushing yards after contact per attempt. Running backs Travis Etienne Jr. and a healthy Tank Bigsby are more than capable of sharing the load and the former can handle 20 or more touches per game if needed.

Jacksonville can run the football, and committing to it would open up the play-action passing game and generate more explosive plays.

Play-action is used to draw the linebackers to the line of scrimmage to mimic the run while leaving chunks of the field with open green grass, especially the high-hole area of the field. Teams can use vertical plane routes, crossers and underneath drags to create explosive plays. Kirk and rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. are prime targets for these concepts.

At the same time, they can also be creative. Teams can run slip screens with the running back out of the backfield (a failed attempt by the Jaguars can be seen in the first of four clips above), run vertical passing concepts and so much more. 

Sometimes, offenses will run play-action concepts out of 11 personnel, 12 personnel, 13 personnel and 22 personnel. Jacksonville has the talent required to operate from each of these looks, specifically 13 personnel when Evan Engram is available as one of three tight ends.

Jaguars fans may already see that an offensive identity is possible to achieve. It helps when the team has the second-deepest route depth of any team in the league through three weeks, showing the makings of an explosive vertical offense marinated off play-action.

It begs the question, why are head coach Doug Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor not leaning into it?

Perhaps they will this week as play-action is the way to beat Houston. Opposing quarterbacks are 17-of-30 for 280 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions on play-action throws against the Texans, according to Pro Football Focus.

Minnesota proved the approach successful by stressing Houston defensively in their win last weekend, with quarterback Sam Darnold going 8-of-12 for 109 yards and one touchdown on play-action. Trevor Lawrence could do the same thing.  

The Jaguars have the toolbox to fix their issues in the short term and beat the Texans with a good old-fashioned run-heavy, play-action attack. It is up to the head coach and offensive coordinator to pick the right tools.

Texans QB C.J. Stroud gives praise to winless Jaguars team

Despite being 0-3, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud isn’t taking the Jacksonville Jaguars lightly this week.

The Jacksonville Jaguars head to Houston winless after an embarrassing 47-10 loss against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud isn’t taking the AFC South foe lightly headed into Week 4.

“They were doing really well against Miami, really had that game in the bag,” Stroud said Wednesday. “Then same thing with Cleveland, played them really tough. Then of course kind of had a little off day against Buffalo. I don’t think their record speaks for what type of football team they are.”

Houston (2-1) suffered its first loss in a 34-7 blowout against the Minnesota Vikings. The offensive line struggled to avoid the penalties, but Stroud never got in a rhythm passing, tossing two interceptions that eventually led to scoring drives.

Houston’s yet to cover the spread despite being favored in all three games. Running backs Dameon Pierce and Joe Mixon could be out Sunday. The same goes for Tank Dell, who left early in Sunday’s loss with what is being ruled a chest injury.

Dell terrorized the Jaguars last season, hauling in 10 passes for 195 yards and two TDs in two games. His absence could lead to more struggles through the air while facing a potent pass rush headlined by Josh Hines-Allen.

“They have a really great D-line starting with Josh Hines-Allen and (Arik) Armstead, and ‘44’ (Trevon Walker) on the other side. [Andre] Cisco is playing good ball, five, getting coached really well,” Stroud said. “So another great defense we have to play against and we have to be on our A game. I definitely don’t think their record shows exactly what they put on film.”

Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT.

Texans QB C.J. Stroud not trying to ‘little bro’ Caleb Williams on Sunday Night Football

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was not trying to ‘little bro’ Chicago Bears rookie star Caleb Williams

C.J. Stroud pulled Caleb Williams in for a conversation following the Houston Texans’ 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears.

He told the No. 1 overall pick, “Good job out there,” and to “stop taking those hits” after Williams was sacked seven times and took 11 quarterback hits. At the time, it seemed Williams wasn’t interested in hearing Stroud’s advice.

Stroud wanted to give a piece of advice to keep Williams’ confidence up heading into Week 3, so he pulled him back to deliver one final message.

“Come here,” Stroud said. “Learn from those mistakes, and everything that you got, bro, is in you already, bro. You’re going to be a hell of a player in this league.”

Social media users criticized Stroud for trying to ‘little bro’ the former USC star despite being only a year older than him in the league. When asked, Stroud said he wanted to relay the similar information given to him a season ago.

“I was not trying to little bro him or anything. He knows that, too. I have a ton of respect for him,” Stroud said. “I had so many guys coming to me after games last year, and that meant the world to me that those guys even thought about giving me advice.

“I was just trying to give back to the game what it’s given to me. I wish him the best, man. I want him to do amazing in this league. I think he will.”

Stroud certainly took the information to heart given to him last season en route to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. In 15 games, he threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns against five interceptions while leading Houston to its first division title in four years.

Stroud also became the first quarterback since Tom Brady to lead the NFL in passing yards per game and touchdown-to-interception ratio in the same season. He also became the first rookie quarterback drafted in the first round to win a playoff game since 2009, surpassing former New York Jets star Mark Sanchez.

While Willams could live up to the hype as a potential franchise quarterback, Sunday was far from his best performance. He completed  23 of his 37 passes for 174 yards and two interceptions.

Stroud said that Williams would be fine in time and admitted that even he had some growing pains before finding his groove as a rookie.

“I didn’t get my rhythm until like Week 3 or Week 4,” Stroud said. “So, I can see his game picking up from here.”

When asked about the postgame interaction, Williams’ response was brief.

“We shook hands at the end of the game,” the QB said Sunday. “That was about it.”

Stroud, who now looks to keep Houston’s undefeated season alive on the road against the Minnesota Vikings, said he didn’t view Williams’ answer as negative, especially given the circumstances.

“He was just upset that they lost. I totally understand,” Stroud said. “I have a ton of respect for that guy. I want him to do extremely well just like any other guy until we play on that day.”

Mic’d-up C.J. Stroud told Jaylon Johnson to ‘stop telling your secrets’ to Richard Sherman podcast

“You ain’t getting me!”

Ah, we loved a good mic’d-up moment in the NFL, and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had two of them last week.

The first was his classy message to Caleb Williams after the win over the Chicago Bears. The second? It was when he went up to Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson and had this to say: “Stop telling your secrets on Richard Sherman’s podcast, dude.”

“You ain’t slick, brother,” he added. “You ain’t getting me!”

What was he referring to? Apparently, Johnson spoke on Sherman’s podcast about how he made a pick on a Vikings throw from Josh Dobbs last season.

Clearly, that gave Stroud some intel on how Johnson thinks about certain plays. Fascinating!

https://twitter.com/TheVolumeSports/status/1836533156704587918

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Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has top-selling jersey in the NFL

Move over Patrick Mahomes as Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud is now the face of NFL jersey sales.

C.J. Stroud is currently the top athlete in the city of Houston following a breakout rookie season with the Houston Texans. Go through any tailgate outside of NRG Stadium and No. 7 will be well represented. 

Apparently, Stroud’s impact has reached national status entering Week 3 of the 2024 season. 

The Texans quarterback tops the list of jersey sales, according to the NFL Players Association. On Wedensday, the NFLPA released the top 50 jersey-sellers from March through May.

Stroud, who last season won Offensive Rookie of the Year after guiding the Texans to their first division title in four seasons, surpassed Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was second. The two-time MVP has carried the title of top seller since his breakout campaign in 2018. 

Much like on the gridiron, Mahomes has competition to remain the top option. 

Now, it must be noted that Stroud’s jersey sales might have benefitted from Houston changing its jerseys in the offseason for the first time in franchise history. Some records could be from the old kits worn in 2023. 

Others likely are from a new era and look surrounding the Texans in 2024. 

Detriot Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow rounded out the top five. Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. appeared on the list at No. 24 following his dominant first year. 

https://twitter.com/TexansCommenter/status/1836386124932997426

While the Texans might be the biggest risers in the AFC, they only have two representatives in the top 50. Detriot, a fan favorite from last season, saw the most growth with six, including running back Jahmyr Gibbs (No. 8), quarterback Jared Goff (No. 19) and tight end Sam LaPorta (No. 44). 

Maybe next season, the Texans will have the same cast of talent with Nico Collins, Danielle Hunter, Tank Dell, Derek Stingley Jr. and Azeez Al-Shaair joining the mix. 

Watch: Texans QB C.J. Stroud delivers classy advice to Caleb Williams following win

C.J. Stroud offered a few words of wisdom to Caleb Willaims following Sunday’s win.

C.J. Stroud said last week that he’s always willing to offer advice to the next crop of young quarterbacks following his breakout rookie season.

On Sunday, he extends a few wise words to Chicago Bears star Caleb Williams.

The Houston Texans quarterback embraced Williams following a 19-13 victory on Sunday Night Football. Despite a lackluster outing from the No. 1 overall pick, Stroud told him if he can learn to avoid the hits, the sky is the limit.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1836117386082030020

“Learn from those mistakes and everything that you got, bro, it’s in you already, bro,” Stroud told Williams. “You’re going to be one hell of a player in this league.”

Hits played a significant role in Sunday’s primetime outing. While Stroud was sacked four times, he also evaded five other pressures and completed three extra completions. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year completed 23-of-36 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown to secure the franchise’s best start since 2016.

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Williams, a former Heisman Trophy winner, wasn’t so lucky. The Texans totaled seven sacks, and consistently was scrambling for his life in the second half. Williams was 3-of-12 for 15 yards and an interception when Houston blitzed.

He finished the evening 23-of-37 for 174 passing yards and two interceptions. Through two games, Williams has yet to throw his first touchdown pass, though Stroud still seems a bright future for the new man in command of the Windy City franchise.

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“I just told him, ‘Everything that got you here is going to take care of you in the long run. Don’t put your head down, don’t let a hard time humble you and just keep going,” Stroud said Sunday night on the broadcast. “It’s not going to be easy, but you got picked at No. 1 for a reason, because they trust in you and believe in you.’ I wish him the best, but I definitely think he’ll be better as he goes on.”

Williams and the Bears will look to bounce back in a road matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Meanwhile, Stroud and the Texans will travel north to take on the Minnesota Vikings.

Mics captured C.J. Stroud’s classy message to Caleb Williams after a punishing SNF loss

Caleb Williams will definitely remember C.J. Stroud’s classy message.

After getting bruised and battered by the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football, it’s been a tough few days for the Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams. While star receiver D.J. Moore seemingly complains about his young signal-caller, we’re already entertaining the possibility that the Bears really might break another first-round quarterback.

By direct contract, C.J. Stroud doesn’t seem convinced it’s over for Williams. Far from it, in fact.

In new mic’d-up footage from NFL Films, Stroud was recorded encouraging Williams to keep his chin up during their postgame conversation on the field. Stroud told Williams not to dwell on a disspiriting defeat where the Texans’ pass rush hounded the Bears quarterback all night because he still believed that Williams was more than good enough to be a star.

It’s a lovely moment to watch between two quarterbacks who might become respective faces of the NFL in due time:

Can you imagine these incredible young talents someday facing off in a Big Game? This is the kind of sportsmanlike footage we’ll fondly look back upon if it ever happens.