C.J. Stroud's Record-Setting Day Pushes Houston Texans Over Bucs in Final Seconds
The Houston Texans had a running back play kicker and a rookie quarterback put up video game numbers in a 39-37 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Things got off to the right start for Houston early on, with C.J. Stroud leading the Texans down the field and capping the drive off with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins.
From there though, things began to run dry for the Texans' offense, particularly in the run game, where they managed just seven yards on seven carries in the absence of Dameon Pierce.
Stroud meanwhile, had not had an easy go of it either, but had been productive in the first half, completing 15 of 23 passes for 157 yards and the Collins touchdown. He was also hit four times and sacked twice in two quarters, and the Texans trailed at the intermission.
Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud.
© Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
It was after halftime, however, that Stroud had an offensive revival, and he finished the day with 470 yards (an NFL rookie record) and five scores, including a long touchdown connection with wideout Noah Brown. On the other hand, one of the biggest stories of the day came not from Stroud's performance, but on special teams.
Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairburn was injured in the early portions of the game, and running back Dare Ogunbowale (who played some soccer in high school) took over the kicking duties, including sinking a go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter.
After Ogunbowale's field goal, however, the Bucs were able to march down the field and get into field goal range themselves, but they managed to find the end zone with less than a minute left to play, appearing to secure the win.
That's when C.J. Stroud called game. Stroud worked the Texans 75 yards down the field in just 40 seconds and found Tank Dell for the game-winning touchdown.
The win pushes the Texans to 4-4 on the season, and they will travel to face the Cincinnati Bengals next week. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. CT on CBS.
