AFC South Roundup (Nov. 5): Texans, Colts Both Win; Titans Now Alone in Last Place
The Houston Texans felt like they won the quarterback derby on draft night when they were able to grab Ohio State's C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick. And Stroud is proving them right week after week.
Stroud set an NFL rookie record on Sunday, throwing for 470 yards. He also had five touchdown passes, which tied a rookie record, in a thrilling 39-37 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He found Tank Dell in the end zone with 6 seconds left to get the win. The Texans are now 4-4 with their rookie star, which is saying something since they were just 3-13-1 a year ago.
He shattered the rookie record for yardage set by Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts in 2012, when he threw for 433 yards.
“C.J. Stroud doesn’t look like a rookie to me,” Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield said. "He’s so impressive, looks like a polished NFL quarterback. So, hats off to him. He played extremely, extremely well today.”
There's no doubt about that. He completed 30-of-42 passes, and this was coming off a game where the Texans lost to winless Carolina 15-13 a week ago. Three pass catchers went over 100 yards for Houston, Noah Brown (6-for-153), tight end Dalton Schultz (10-for-130) and Dell (6-for-114).
Stroud has already thrown for 2,270 in just eight games, and he's done it playing smart football, too. He has 14 touchdown passes, and just one interception. Andrew Luck currently holds the rookie passing record set in 2012 at 4,374 yards. Stroud is on pace for 4,824 yards.
“It was a gutsy performance from him,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It wasn’t all clean but he gutted it out. He was tough in the pocket. Made some plays, made some big-time throws for us.”
Colts 27, Panthers 13
The Indianapolis Colts defense has stunk lately, allowing 37 points or more in three straight losses. But that all changed Sunday, when cornerback Kenny Moore II had two interceptions — and returned them both for touchdowns in a 27-13 win over the Carolina Panthers.
It made up for a bad day for the Colts offense, which could muster only 198 yards of total offense. It was their first win since beating Tennessee on Oct. 8.
“Just having that (winning) feeling again feels so good,” said Moore, who became the first Colts player ever to have two pick-sixes in the same game. “We’ve obviously been on a tough stretch with some losses that didn’t feel too good. We want to keep this feeling.”
The Colts are now 4-5 on the season, equaling their win total from a year ago when they finished 4-12-1.
Week 9 AFC South results
- Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Tennessee Titans 16 (Thurs.)
- Houston Texans 39, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 37
- Indianapolis Colts 27, Carolina Panthers 13
- Jacksonville Jaguars, bye
Week 10 AFC South schedule
- Carolina Panthers (1-7) at Chicago Bears (2-7), Thursday at 8:15 p.m. ET. TV/Streaming: Amazon Prime Video.
- Indianapolis Colts (4-5) vs. New England Patriots (2-7), Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET in Frankfort, Germany. TV: NFL Network.
- Tennessee Titans (3-5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5), Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. TV: CBS.
- San Francisco 49ers (5-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2) Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. TV: FOX.
Related AFC South stories
- STEELERS BEAT TITANS ON THURSDAY NIGHT: The Tennessee Titans still can't find a way to win away from Nashville. They gave up a 92-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter on Thursday night, and the Pittsburgh Steelers came away with a 20-16 victory. CLICK HERE
- TITANS PHOTO GALLERY: New city, same result for the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night. They lost 20-16 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it's the fifth straight time that they've lost at home this season. Here are the best photos from the game. CLICK HERE
- WATCH STEELERS' FIRST TOUCHDOWN: The Tennessee Titans fell behind early in their Thursday Night Football matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, giving up a touchdown on the opening drive. Here's the highlight of the Najee Harris touchdown. CLICK HERE
- WATCH STEELERS' GAME-WINNING TOUCHDOWN: The Tennessee Titans defense had a tough night, and capped it off by allowing the game-winning score on a Kenny Pickett touchdown pass. Here's the highlight. CLICK HERE
