4 Texans Who Shined, 3 Who Struggled in Week 5 Win Over Titans

The Houston Texans finally marked down their first win of the 2026 season in Week 5 thanks to a 26-3 rout on the road against their AFC South rival Tennessee Titans.

And in the process of the Texans' dominant win in Nashville, we saw a select few players from Houston's roster rise to the occasion for some of their best performances of this year so far. While, for others, they wound up being a bit of a non-factor for that success, despite the blowout victory.

With that in mind, let's take a look at four players from the Texans' roster who shined the brightest, along with three guys who struggled the most in their Week 5 win against the Titans.

Who Shined in Texans' Week 5 Win Over Titans

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) scrambles for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

QB C.J. Stroud

Even after a solid first four weeks of the season individually, C.J. Stroud had his best game of the season thus far in Week 5 when factoring in his efficiency, decision-making, ability to distribute all around the field, and even his effectiveness when using his legs.

C.J. Stroud runs it in himself for the touchdown 🔥@HOUvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/x2MG7qn7Ow
— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

Stroud connected on an impressive 76.4% of his 34 total throws on his way to 261 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and even a rushing touchdown in the second half that really put the cherry on top for a dominant win against a division rival. Hats off to the Texans' signal-caller.

DE Will Anderson

For as good as Stroud was in the Texans' 23-point victory over the Titans, it's hard to consider anyone outside of All-Pro edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. as the most impressive player of the day. Because he was a total game-wrecker from start to finish.

Will Anderson Jr. steps up and gets the sack on 4th and 20 👏@HOUvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/nOZadKuT2h
— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

Anderson made his impact truly felt in the pass rush, as he took down Cam Ward for a staggering three sacks. It's something that's only happened one other time in Anderson's young career (2024, Week 6 vs. the New England Patriots), and certainly puts him in a great spot for this year's Defensive Player of the Year award moving forward.

RB Woody Marks

With David Montgomery being forced to the sidelines early in this one with a hip injury, it was Woody Marks who took control as the lead runner in Houston's running back room. And in the process, the Texans' run game looked about as good as it has all season.

Marks chipped in for a season-high 15 carries for 62 yards, and even made an impact as a pass-catcher with four catches for 23 yards. No matter if Montgomery is due to miss time or not, it's going to be tough not to give the Texans' second-year runner more of the workload moving deeper into the season.

WR Jaylin Noel

Noel has increasingly found his way into a bigger and bigger role on the Texans' offense as the year has progressed. And in Week 5, he saw those increasing responsibilities result in what might've been his best game as a pro: five catches, 41 yards, and a touchdown.

C.J. Stroud ➡️ Jaylin Noel for the touchdown!@HOUvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/yUJBMVAv0r
— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

It’ll probably be tough to sustain that production moving forward with Marvin Harrison Jr. now entering the mix, and perhaps it'll be even more challenging once Tank Dell is officially healthy. However, seeing Noel finally catch onto this offense as a contributing piece is a positive sight to see.

Who Struggled in Texans' Week 5 Win Over Titans

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) hands off to running back David Montgomery (32) during the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

RB David Montgomery

It was another week where the Texans didn't exactly see the production they would've hoped out of their veteran running back, David Montgomery, who recorded just five rushes for 11 yards before he was ruled out for the second half with a groin injury.

Time will tell just how severe Montgomery's injury is, and whether it'll cost him any time on the field for Week 6 and onwards. But even if he is back in the lineup in time for next weekend, it may be time to hand Marks––the more dynamic, explosive playmaker of the two––a larger share of the backfield snaps.

S Calen Bullock

It's been a pretty quiet season on behalf of the Texans' ball-hawking safety, Calen Bullock, who managed to benefit from a much-better performance from Houston's secondary as a whole compared to the past few weeks, but didn't make many big plays himself.

Bullock had zero stats to his name outside of one pass defended. There's bound to be opportunities for Bullock to make some big plays and create some turnovers for this Texans defense in due time, yet that just hasn't happened so far this season.

TE Dalton Schultz

Since Dalton Schultz had an electric 12 receptions for 140 yards in Week 2 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, the Texans' veteran hasn't reached even close to those same statistical heights. And Week 5 was no different. Schultz saw just four targets come his way, which he turned into just three catches for 30 yards.

Of course, the Texans offense looked about as good and well-rounded as we've seen this season. Stroud made sure to get virtually all of his pass-catchers involved in this one, as six players had three or more catches. Regardless, Schultz hasn't been that big vertical threat at tight end that he looked to be just a few weeks ago.

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