With the Houston Texans starting the NFL season 0-2, a lot of blame is falling at the feet of quarterback C.J. Stroud and the offense. They have not scored 20 or more points in a game during the first two weeks of the season.
He has completed 62.7% of his passes for 395 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in 2025. He has also rushed for 59 yards on nine carries and zero touchdowns, along with averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Are his struggles concerning after two weeks or will he be just fine?
C.J. Stroud Will Be Fine for the Houston Texans Despite His Struggles
Josh Kendall and Chad Graff of the Athletic created the latest NFL power rankings for week three of the 2025 NFL season. They have the Texans ranked number 24 in the power rankings at this moment. The overreaction they have for Houston is: "C.J. Stroud's slump is concerning."
They followed up their reasoning as to why Stroud will be alright and said,
"The Texans have failed their young quarterback with a bad offensive-line plan, but Stroud is not blameless. In his first 20 games as a pro, he threw 30 touchdown passes against eight interceptions, had a 100.2 passer rating and averaged 0.10 of EPA per dropback. In the 14 games since, he has 14 touchdown passes versus 10 interceptions, has an 81.4 passer rating and is averaging minus-0.09 of EPA per dropback. That divide dates to Week 5 of 2024, which was also his last 300-yard passing game."
Houston will be facing the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) in week three. If the Texans win this game and if Stroud plays well, this team could potentially go on a winning streak. The defense has not been the problem for them during the first two games. Jacksonville let Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning move the ball up and down the field on them when Joe Burrow left the game with an injury.
This is the game for Stroud to finally get going. Not only does he have to play better, but the offensive line has to hold up its end of the bargain.
More NFL News:
Houston Texans already facing a must-win in September | Sporting News