The Houston Texans entered Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers without winning a home game in 644 days. You can set this number to zero. Stroud’s latest sensational performance behind C.J. helped the Texans defeat Pittsburgh 30-6 and earn their first home win since Dec. 26, 2021.
“I have been thinking about it for a long time,” Stroud said on the record after the win. “You all deserve to feel special. They all deserve to be rooting for the Texans. They have not won since 2021, which I think was around Christmas, but it is a success for everyone in this building.”
We want them to know that we work hard every day so you can walk around with pride in your Texans’ gear and some swag walk with when you earn your W.
It is still a young season, but the bitterness of the past few seasons in Houston has been erased under DeMeco Ryans. Texas players told one man that the new coach emphasized the importance of breaking the losing streak of meaningless home games.
“DeMeco came in and made the commitment,” tight end Dalton Schultz said. “This is the last time the Texans won a home game. At the beginning of the week, we were just focused on winning at home. There is always room for improvement, but this was a great team win that we needed.”
Stroud led an early-season turnaround that put the Texans in the middle of the AFC South race, a 2-2 all-district division.
On Sunday, the No. 2 overall pick completed 16 of 30 passes for 306 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks. He now has three consecutive games with at least 250 passing yards, two passing TDs, and zero INTs, the longest streak by a rookie since at least 1970.
He is doing well! C.J. Stroud is like Gardner Minshew, who started strong. C.J. has thrown the ball a lot without interceptions. He is the very first NFL player to throw for over 1,200 yards without interceptions in his first four games. That is a lot of yards without passes getting caught by the other team, which is really remarkable!
It is a Blessing to Be in Houston!
Stroud’s 1,212 yards in the first four games of a player’s career moved him past Andrew Luck for second all-time and behind Cam Newton’s 1,386 yards (Newton’s TD-to-INT ratio was 5:5).
Remember, Stroud was able to achieve these numbers despite having a very strong offensive line. For Ohio State, who grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., ending the home losing streak was most important to fans.
“I do not like to be tied down to a team, so I am taking this very personally,” he said. “If the Lakers lose, I will be mad. I take this thing really seriously, dude. It is up to us to work and strive every day.”
As you can see, Steelers fans came to our stadium today, and we drove them home. I think our fans felt the energy of, “We are not going to play from the beginning today,” but I just want to say that we are going to keep fighting every day so you guys can walk away with that swag.
I think this is a huge thing for this team. We would like to develop it further. It is a blessing to be in Houston. Houston is a great city with so much to do, great people, and the best Southern hospitality, and I am slowly falling in love with it. That is a blessing. ”
If Stroud continues on the path suggested by his first four starts in the NFL, the Texans will no longer have to worry about a 600-day home drought.
