C.J. Stroud and the Texans offense clicked at just the right time in Sunday's win over the Jaguars.
On an afternoon in which the team committed 12 penalties for 93 yards, and also muffed a punt early that Jacksonville converted into a touchdown, Stroud drove Houston 69 yards down the field in nine plays, taking 2:36 off the game clock at NRG Stadium on the team's final, game-winning drive.
He found running back Dare Ogunbowale on the right side of the field open for a score, and the 1-yard touchdown pass, plus Ka'imi Fairbairn's extra point, pushed the Texans in front, 24-20, with just 0:18 remaining in regulation.
Ogunbowale, who caught four passes on the day for 47 yards, explained the offense's mindset on the final possession, with a nod to Stroud.
"We got a great quarterback," Ogunbowale said. "We all got poise in the huddle man. We knew once it was time for us to make a play, we all had the confidence to make one.""
Stroud, who ran twice on the drive for 11 yards and completed all five of his pass attempts for a total of 45 yards, said it was really just a matter of playing clean football at the end. The Texans didn't commit a penalty on the last possession and moved the ball forward on every snap.
"We honestly didn't even go into 2-minute offense," Stroud said. "We were just clicking. We got to stop moving backwards. I feel like whenever we are on the green side or we're doing well away from penalties, we're moving the ball against anybody. That last drive, we just did a good job of staying in front of the sticks. We were just locked in."
Stroud finished the day with 345 passing yards, completing 27-of-40 pass attempts, and a passer rating of 110.9.
He found five different pass-catchers for a completion of 23 yards or more, and connected with wide receiver Nico Collins a dozen times for 151 yards and his other passing touchdown. Collins wasn't surprised by Stroud's heroics.
"7's special," Collins said of Stroud, who wears the jersey number 7. "He's the type of dude that's always looking downfield, always finding an open void. Whenever the play is over, it's not really over. Just finding the open void for him. You know he's going to make a play."
It was the fourth time in Stroud's career he's led a game-winning drive, and it was his second career 4th quarter comeback.
