National Football League

With C.J. Stroud back, Texans look like playoff team in win over Titans

Published Dec. 31, 2023 5:13 p.m. ET

WIth C.J. Stroud back, the Texans looked pretty much how we expected.

It's why it's tough to bet against them getting into the playoffs. It's why they could be dangerous if they do get in.

"I felt like I got back to my normal self really kind of fast," Stroud said.

The No. 2 overall pick, who returned Sunday after a two-game absence due to a concussion, guided the Texans (9-7) to a 26-3 blowout of the Titans (5-11) at NRG Stadium. Stroud completed 75% of his passes for 213 yards and a touchdown, posting an impressive 102.7 passer rating.

It's not just that Stroud played well against the miserable Titans. It's that he didn't appear to show any rust. He showed the same veteran-like composure under duress as he did in his 13 games prior to his absence. When pressured Sunday, he completed all six of his passes for 48 yards and a touchdown, 8.0 yards per attempt and a 139.6 passer rating, according to Next Gen Stats.

While the production near the end zone wasn't great — Houston went 1-for-3 inside the 20 against Tennessee's No. 2-ranked red-zone defense — the overall rhythm and flow that the Texans offense had missed with Case Keenum and Davis Mills under center was back.

The team's 13-play touchdown possession in the first half spanned 94 yards, with Stroud going 7-for-8 for 50 yards, including the 12-yard score to tight end Brevin Jordan. The rookie was still efficient in the short and immediate passing game despite the Titans' success taking away the deep ball.

"Went to the right spot with the football. He made great decisions all day," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. "He was calm. He was confident in the moment. Just the confidence factor — what he does for our entire team. He raises everyone's level of confidence because everybody knows the type of player that he is, right? He's a big-time playmaker. He continues to show that week after week."

And as we've seen so many times this year, we saw the manifestation of Stroud's terrific rapport with Nico Collins, who had also missed the first matchup against the Titans with a groin injury. The former third-round pick had seven catches for 80 yards, including six catches on six targets for 65 yards in the first half.

We were also reminded of the heights that the Texans offense can still reach.

Their deep passing game has been a strength all year (the past few weeks being an exception), but the run game didn't catch a rhythm until the second half of the year with the emergence of tailback Devin Singletary, who has supplanted Dameon Pierce as RB1. And Stroud is most dangerous with a balanced Houston attack. On Sunday, Singletary had 16 carries for 80 yards. It marked the sixth time in the past seven games that he's had at least 4.5 yards per carry.

"This point in the season, you want to be able to run the ball and pass the ball at a high level," Stroud said. "I think today, we did that."

Against the Titans, the Texans also got a spark from the return of rookie edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., who had missed the previous two games with a high-ankle sprain. He tied a single-game career-high with two sacks — they came on back-to-back plays in the second quarter — and added six pressures. He now has seven sacks on the year, a single-season franchise record for a rookie.

Houston as a team had six sacks on Sunday, including a sack fumble on Will Levis by veteran Jerry Hughes returned for a touchdown by Sheldon Rankins that gave the Texans a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter. If leading pass rusher Jonathan Greenard (ankle) and Maliek Collins (hip) can return for Week 18, the Texans would have their full defensive line — the strength of the defense — to support the Stroud-led offense down the stretch.

"Our D-line, they produce no matter who's been in," Ryans said. "They play well together. And when they play well together, that changes that entire scope of our defense. … When they're playing well, we have a really good chance to win games."

The Texans have put themselves in control of their destiny. They'll be in the postseason for the first time since 2019 with a victory next week over the Colts (Indianapolis beat them in the first matchup in Week 2).

With Stroud back, there's optimism with that proposition.

"The time is now," Stroud said. "It's not next year. It's not the year after that. It's right now."

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.