Let the good times roll in Houston: C.J Stroud and the Texans go back to back
Week Four saw the Houston Texans gain back to back wins after inflicting a 30-6 loss on the Pittsburgh Steelers. C.J Stroud provided us with another clinical performance, throwing for over 300 yards for the second time in four regular season starts to kick off his NFL career.
Two passing touchdowns on Sunday brings him to six in total for the season with no interceptions. Quite the impressive start for a young man who had to deal with many challenges thrown at him prior to the draft.
But I can tell you one thing for sure, any questions, any rumours or knocks at him that he has had to deal with, have been firmly put to bed. He has had to wait to get on the pitch and show everyone exactly who he is and why the Texans were so confident in taking him. Just now Stroud is playing stat wise as a top-10 quarterback in the league through four games and he is the standout rookie QB for me.
The Texans and their fan base must be feeling electric knowing that this is their future. What a bright future it could be.
He ranks second place for rookie quarterbacks through their first four games with 1,212 passing yards, only behind Cam Newton who holds the record. Two notable names that he has overtaken to gain second spot are Andrew Luck and Patrick Mahomes, pretty good company to be in isn’t it?
The AFC South looked like a potentially dull division to be perfectly honest before the season got underway, but now it has some fascinating plot twists that make it one of the more interesting divisions in the league.
All four teams sit at 2-2 and realistically all four have every right to believe that they can take the South. The Jags have looked sloppy, the Colts are much more dangerous that anticipated and the Titans showed on Sunday that you can’t write them off.
With all that said and done, what if this young, hungry and energetic Texans team can continue to progress? If they do continue to play how they have these past two weeks, you’d be silly to not say they have a legitimate chance. How many people would have said that on the build up to Week One?!
More than anything, I am excited at what the future holds for this franchise. Regardless of what takes place this season, good or bad, the future looks to be stacked with promise. They brought in the perfect head coach, who has brought in a real identity. They have added really well in the draft and free agency. The players all look fully invested in the journey – they are ready to prove to any doubters that they can be and will be a force moving forward.
Lastly, I want to touch on the fine form and progress the defense is showing already in such a short time after the arrival of DeMeco Ryans. The days are over for Texans fans where they have to wait for ridiculously long stretches to see a home win, they might actually find that home wins become a regular occurrence.
The next three games see the Texans play the Falcons, Saints and Panthers – three games in which I am all in on Houston. They could easily find themselves at 5-2 and I truly believe that is a realistic target for them. Exciting times in Houston.
