The Houston Texans got another masterful performance from quarterback C.J. Stroud, sparking a clear message about the fourth-year pro’s future.
“In the offseason, the Texans were (rightly) unsure whether they wanted to give CJ Stroud a deal worth $55m a year,” Check The Mic host Sam Monson posted on X on November 8 in reaction to the QB’s performance in Week 9 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“When he comes to the table next, his starting number is gonna be a 7.”
Stroud finished the win with 384 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 1 interception on 60% completion, tacking on another 20 yards on two carries.
“Business handled [checkmark emoji],” the Texans said in a post on X following the game, including a graphic featuring Stroud that noted his 404 yards of offense contributed and that his passing TDs tied his career high.
“The only QB over the last two seasons with 350 Pass Yards, 5 Pass TD and 125+ Pass Rating in a game,” Pro Football Focus posted on X after the game.
“Coleridge Bernard Stroud IV.”
Stroud is up to 2,251 yards, 16 TDs, and 2 INTs on 64.2% completion so far this season. The Texans started the 2026 regular season 0-4, but Stroud was hardly the main culprit, and he has led their resurgence back into contention for the playoffs in the AFC.
C.J. Stroud Gets Honest After Texans HC DeMeco Ryans’ Strong Comments
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans commended the offensive line for giving Stroud the kind of time he needed to operate against the Chargers. The fourth-year HC did not hold back in his praise for Stroud, either.
“You see the growth, you see the maturity in C.J. Top quarterback in his league because of that,” Ryans told reporters on November 8. “Because of his steadiness in the pocket, his resolve, his great energy all day, and he’s having a phenomenal year. Phenomenal year, and definitely deserving of all the recognition that he should get.”
Adding to the impressiveness of Stroud’s day, he said that he was under the weather.
“To be honest with you, I was very sick this whole week. I don’t know what I had, but was not feeling good all week, and barely practiced on Thursday. And really, man, my teammates really helped me. [Offeensive assistant] Cole Weeks came and encouraged me during the week because I was really feeling bad and just wasn’t feeling great,” Stroud told reporters postgame.
“Even today, I woke up feeling not great. I don’t know what I had. I got chills and all the things. And just to have that type of performance even under the weather a little bit was, to me, just a testament of I think just our team and our resilience.”
Stroud continued, “I’m grateful that God has allowed me to play this game even when I’m sick. So, I don’t know. I’m just really happy with what we were able to do off of a bye week. Knocked off a little rust. I feel like we had in that second drive. And then from there, started a roll. But it’s a good start. We got a lot more work to do.”
C.J. Stroud Gets Strong Words After Texans Rout Chargers