Noah Brown is explosive.
The Texans receiver led the way in Sunday's 39-37 win over the Buccaneers with six catches for 153 yards and a touchdown at NRG Stadium.
His scoring grab came on Houston's first offensive play from scrimmage in the third quarter, when he took a crossing and raced up the left sideline for a 75-yard touchdown. It was just the third time in NFL history an Ohio State Buckeye quarterback has thrown a scoring pass to an Ohio State Buckeye receiver. The duo celebrated together in a special way afterwards.
"Noah is a Buckeye, so we had to hit the O-h," Stroud said.
Brown also added in receptions of 28, 31 and 14 yards later in the game. The 14-yarder came on the final possession, which ended with a C.J. Stroud-to-Tank Dell touchdown pass to seal the victory.
Brown caught three passes for 20 yards in the season opener at Baltimore, and missed the next four games with an injury. Before today's triumph, Brown caught a pass of at least 31 yards or more in each of the two previous games. Since he came back, Brown's tallied 11 receptions for 247 yards over the last three games.
"Noah has always been a guy since OTAs that we can rely on," Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans said. "Noah has always been consistent for us. He shows up every single day, and he's consistent, exactly where he's supposed to be, precise with his route running ability, and he's sure with the hands. Love what Noah brings. He brings consistency to our offense, and love what he's been doing for us."
Stroud, meanwhile, cited his offseason work over the summer with Brown, tight end Dalton Schultz and several other Texans receivers for setting up the foundation of what the offense was able to accomplish Sunday.
"I think that has to do a lot with the success we're having throwing the ball," Stroud said. "It's just that personal connection you have with somebody, just to know -- like honestly, it might sound funny, but you can know when somebody is going to break and when they're not, when they're going to do something and they're not."
Brown and the Texans will head to Cincinnati next week for a Sunday matchup with the Bengals.
