The Texans tight ends were a key part of the passing game in Sunday's win over Detroit.

The trio of C.J. Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin and Stephen Anderson combined to catch 10 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. For head coach Bill O'Brien, Sunday's performance was simply a reflection of what the position group has done throughout 2016.

"I think the tight ends have been pretty productive for us this year," O'Brien said. "It's just a continuation of their production."

Fiedorowicz, who accounted for 43 yards on five catches, said the key to the uptick in production is due to Brock Osweiler.

"I don't know that there's anything different, other than we got a good quarterback in Brock," Fiedorowicz said. "Our tight ends coach is teaching us good things. I don't know if there's much of a difference, I just think our quarterback has more confidence in us."

O'Brien agreed.

"I thought Brock did a nice job of delivering the ball to those guys, and those guys did a nice job of getting open," O'Brien said. "There were some good matchups there."

Four of those 10 catches came on third down, and helped the Texans move the chains for a first down. Fiedorowicz caught a 6-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, and it came on a 3rd-and-goal situation. 

He also took a big hit, and left the game, but returned later. The toughness shown by the third-year player didn't faze Osweiler.

"It doesn't surprise me one bit," Osweiler said. "C.J.'s one of those guys that seems like no matter how beat up he is, he's out there at practice. He doesn't miss a single rep."

For Fiedorowicz, the success in throwing to the tight ends could help the rest of the offense as the season unfolds.

"It's going to open up the outside," Fiedorowicz said. "It's going to open up the running game. The receivers complement us, we complement them, and it just keeps the defense on their heels because they don't know what's coming."

The Texans tight ends have caught 57 passes for 550 yards in 2016.