This season has not gone as planned for the Houston Texans, but C.J. Stroud is doing his part.
“The question is, can they overcome? And they have the defense to overcome. I mean, here’s the thing, C.J. Stroud, just stay the course. Stay the course. I remember after we lost the Super Bowl–we won the Super Bowl, and then we lost the Super Bowl–and the following year was tough. We were 2-4, and it felt like the world was crashing down,” Russell Wilson said on “Set Hut!” on October 6.
“I just remembered, ‘You know what? God chose me. He didn’t choose them.’ I kept saying to myself, I wrote on my top of my paper, ‘They’ll love you one day, and they’ll hate you the next.’”
Wilson shared the clip on his personal handle on X, saying, “Dear, @CJ7STROUD,” tagging the Texans QB.
Wilson continued in the video, “No matter what, you’re playing great football right now. And now, it’s time to take it to an even higher level. And if you can take those guys to the next level, that’s how the Houston Texans get there.
“It’s in you. You’ve done it before. Keep going.”
Stroud is on pace to set new career highs in passing attempts and passing yards per game this season, and he has yet to turn the ball over.
His completion percentage and touchdown rates are both tracking for new lows, while his sack rate is higher than it was to end last season. Those are all more symptoms of the Texans’ failings around Stroud than signs of poor play at the QB position.
Texans Send Message With Clip of C.J. Stroud Mic’d Up
The Texans shared a clip on X of Stroud from Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys following his touchdown pass to Nico Collins, captioning it with “HIM.”
In the clip, Stroud said, “They can’t mess with me,” after throwing the touchdown to Collins–who was making his return after two weeks sidelined with a hamstring injury–adding, “On my mama they can’t mess with me!”
The clip was part of a larger package the team shared on YouTube.
“Stroud was nails against the Cowboys. In fact, Stroud has been nails for the entire season. His numbers against the Bengals and Colts are unspectacular, given the lack of Collins and some drop-heavy performances from Collins’ backups. But the film is not just reminiscent of the 2023 season, in which Stroud dawned as a dominant rookie — it is at a higher degree of difficulty. This is the sort of player you pay $55 million,” ESPN’s Benjamin Solak wrote on October 6.
“Of course, the Texans didn’t get that contract extension done this offseason, as Stroud looked for a stronger performance (and a fatter contract) out of 2026.”
Solak added, “The tricky thing now is the Texans’ record: 0-4. Only one 0-4 team has made the playoffs since 1990 — the 1992 Chargers. It’s never great when the historical precedent for a team was set in the same year my parents were married.”
Stroud has delivered; now it is up to the Texans to step up around him.
Russell Wilson Sends Direct Message to C.J. Stroud Amid Texans Issues