The football world truly works in weird ways. Going into the final game of last season, the Houston Texans, not-so-proud owners of a 2-13-1 record, were primed for the No. 1 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
With less than a minute left in the finale, they trailed the Indianapolis Colts by seven points and appeared fully on course for the dubious emotional mix of having a first overall pick in your pocket, combined with the gnawing reality that you were bad enough to earn it.
Then, suddenly, a miraculous comeback, a late drive, a touchdown that then-QB Davis Mills described as “lucky”, a two-point conversion, a drop to No. 2 in the draft order, and eventually … C.J. Stroud.
Of course, it is possible that Houston would have taken Stroud even if they hadn’t surrendered the No. 1 spot to the Bears, who then traded it to the Panthers, who then took Bryce Young. But we will never know.
What we do know is that four games into the new campaign, the Texans could not be more delighted with how things played out. They are walking tall, feeling light and have the sense that a fresh dawn has arrived.
Stroud has brought the vibes, putting together an initial body of work that simply cannot be faulted and, more importantly, sticking some smiles back on faces after a long, long stretch of the grumps.
Coming out of last weekend’s 30-6 demolition of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and going into Sunday’s visit to the Atlanta Falcons (1:00 ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), the positive vibes are rolling emphatically through the Texans organization and the lift that comes with believing they have found the right guy is palpable.
“With C.J. and the growth and what I’ve seen most, is how he has continued to get better throughout the weeks,” head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters. “Anything we have pointed out to him as a point of emphasis, he has taken it to heart and shown those improvements next week in a game.
“That’s big-time for a QB, when you can take the corrections and take that to the game. Some guys it takes more time; he is doing it week to week.”
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Certainties of future excellence won’t be determined over a sample size as small as four weeks, but it’s been one heck of a stretch for Stroud and the team.
Houston doesn’t have a problem; it feels like it has the solution to an issue that plagued it ever since Deshaun Watson’s time with the organization was tainted by multiple allegations of sexual assault.
Looking at these four games — and it’s not like there is anything else to pull from — Stroud’s numbers constitute one mighty flex. No player except Cam Newton, who began his career on an incredible tear 12 years ago, had more yards than Stroud’s 1,212 in a debut span of that length.
More than that, he hasn’t done what rookie QBs usually do — give the ball away. It is usually part of the painful learning process, interceptions gifted to the opposition because the newcomer struggles to adapt to the pace of the game, or struggles to find flow with his reads, or because NFL defenders are sneaky, unpredictable, ruthless individuals.
Six touchdowns looks good. Zero interceptions looks even better, and this surge, the highlight of which came against the Steelers, isn’t because he has an elite core of receivers to aim at, or an outstanding offensive line to protect him.
He doesn’t.
Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Robert Woods have all found positive connections with Stroud, but none bring a reputation of prior greatness.
Speaking of that Pittsburgh game, it was a milestone win for a couple of very significant reasons. First, it was the day J.J. Watt was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor. Second, it was the first time Houston had won at home since December 26, 2021, having gone the entirety of the 2022 campaign without a victory in front of their own fans.
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That painful reality was something Ryans leaned into, making his players fully aware of the date of the last win and the number of days that had passed since. It was a major step. It is tough to get your fans to believe when they haven’t physically seen you win in nearly two years.
Stroud brings hope because that’s what quarterbacks are supposed to do, and nothing excites more than a young thrower who is finding his feet. When he was told about the barren landscape in regard to home wins, he was stunned and he spoke directly to the fans.
“Y’all deserve to feel special,” Stroud said. “Y’all deserve to root the Texans on.
“Not winning (at home) since 2021, around Christmas? That’s not flying for me or anybody in this building. I want them to know that we’re fighting our tails off every day to make sure y’all are walking around wearing Texans gear with pride.”
Stroud wasn’t seen as an obvious choice. Before the draft, he performed poorly on the S2 cognition test that is part of the evidence NFL teams build up when collecting analytic information on incoming QBs. Young’s only issue was size. Antony Richardson, an unparalleled athlete at the position, was intriguing. Stroud had some excellent showings at Ohio State, but still some question marks.
He’s erasing them, rapidly.
It has been quite a whirlwind. Stroud only turned 22 on Tuesday and it must have been a pretty good birthday week.
The Texans, for so long a synonym for gloom, are grinning again. It was only nine months ago that the Week 18 miracle set in motion a set of sliding doors. The Texans appear to have opened the right one.
