CJ Stroud’s struggles continue as Texans fall to resurgent Jets

On By Littum

Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud (7) warms up before an NFL football game against the New York Jets Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud struggled in Thursday night’s loss to the New York Jets. It hasn’t been a banner season overall for the second year QB. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud was celebrated all last season, and rightfully so. He had one of the greatest rookie seasons ever.

And the normal conclusion was that Stroud would be even better his second season. The NFL doesn’t always work that way.

Stroud has been good but lackluster in his follow-up to that rookie season. It hadn’t mattered much, because he and the rest of the Texans had done enough to start the season 6-2. But against a 2-6 New York Jets team Thursday night, Stroud needed a win for his team, and he couldn’t.

The Jets won an ugly 21-13 game in which Aaron Rodgers finally came to life after a poor first half and threw for three touchdowns after halftime. The Texans produced very little offense. Houston was without injured receivers Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs, and that’s a viable excuse. But still, it was the continuation of some regression for Stroud in his second season.

Both teams had a hard time starting the game. The Texans came in with a lot of injuries, which was a big reason why they looked. The Jets are just not a very good football team.

Neither team scored until deep into the second quarter. The Jets thought they scored, but rookie receiver Malachi Corley dropped the ball. Corley caught an end-around, his second career touchdown, for an apparent 19-yard touchdown. But just before he scored, he let up, dropped the ball in jubilation, and he had yet to cross the goal line. The massive mistake cost the Jets the touchdown and possession as the ball rolled out of the end zone for a Texans touchback.

But the Texans didn’t take advantage. Joe Mixon scored a 3-yard touchdown, and it was the only score of the first half. Houston could not extend the lead further. Stroud didn’t produce enough big plays. But in the first half, the Jets were even worse, trailing 7-0.

Aaron Rodgers had 32 yards passing in the first half. It was the fewest passing yards Rodgers has ever had in the first half of a game in his career, with a minimum of 10 attempts. By the end of the half, an increasingly agitated Jets crowd began chanting “sell the team” in hopes that team owner Woody Johnson would listen.

The Jets needed a rally in the second half just to calm the crowd.

The Jets finally did some good things in the second half.

The best came from Garrett Wilson. Wilson made a one-handed grab as he crossed the field in the third quarter and ran in for the score. In the fourth quarter, he made a more impressive one-handed grab in the end zone on third-and-19, caught it backhanded and somehow got his shin down in bounds for the touchdown. The Jets led 14-10 after Wilson’s second touchdown.

The Jets caught a massive break after that. The Texans made a field goal, but the Jets received an unnecessary roughness penalty for hitting the snapper. But Houston couldn’t get a first down, and then Ka’imi Fairbairn somehow missed a 27-yard field goal, hitting it off the crossbar. However, Fairbairn does not miss a field goal if Stroud had taken advantage of that Jets penalty and brought his team to a touchdown. Rodgers’ third touchdown, off a nice play to Davante Adams, sealed the win.

The Texans (6-3) are still a good team and likely on their way to an AFC South title. But Stroud hasn’t emerged as the MVP candidate some thought he would be. Last season as a rookie he had a passer rating of 100.8. This season, he was down to 95.6 before Thursday’s game, and that will dip again after he struggled to an 11-for-30, 191-yard passing night with no TDs.

He’s had some bad games this season, like the Jets loss, an 86-yard game in a loss to the Packers and a two-interception day in a loss to the Vikings. He’s still a good quarterback, he just took a small step back in his second season. There’s still plenty of time for him to rally, though he’ll have to do so without Diggs, who is done for the season with a torn ACL.

Thursday night just wasn’t his night. Stroud set the bar very high during a historic rookie season, and so far it has been difficult to get over that bar.

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  • Tale of two halves

    Final statistics

    Texans: 322 yards of offense

    CJ Stroud 11-30, 115 yards

    Joe Mixon 106 yards, 1 TD, 24 carries

    Tank Dell 6 catches, 126 yards

    Jets: 293 yards of offense

    Aaron Rodgers 22-32, 211 yards, 3 TD

    Davante Adams 7 catches, 91 yards, 1 TD

    Garrett Wilson 9 catches, 90 yards, 2 TD

    Breece Hall’s 74 yards, 15 carries

  • FINAL: Jets 21, Texans 13

    Truly a tale of two halves. The Jets looked like a completely different team in the second half, while the Texans could never really get on track with their offense.

    Jets win, 21–13. They improve to 3-6. Houston falls to 6–3.

  • CJ Stroud was fired for the 8th time

    The Texans’ drive stalls at the Jets’ 11-yard line after CJ Stroud is sacked by Haason Reddick and Quinnen Williams.

    Houston still needed two possessions and takes a 29-yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn.

    Jets 21, Texans 13 with 0:30 left. Houston will now attempt an onside kick.

  • Amazing and unlikely

    Garrett Wilson’s one-handed 26-yard touchdown catch might have been the best of the NFL season so far, writes Frank Schwab.

    “The catch itself was amazing. Wilson backhanded the ball with just one hand. But then to have the presence of mind to get the foot down, then get the shin down in bounds before his knee landed out of bounds is indescribable.”

    The catch was also highly unlikely, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats:

  • Another push

    Maybe a more affectionate push between Aaron Rodgers and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich after the Jets’ touchdown?

  • TOUCHDOWN, Jets

    The Jets likely have this game locked up. Davante Adams looked fine as he caught a 37-yard pass for a touchdown and a 21–10 lead with 2:56 left in the fourth quarter.

  • Jets running and burning clock

    On 3rd and 1 from the Jets’ 44, Aaron Rodgers finds Kenny Yeboah for a 12-yard gain and a first down. Yeboah is knocked out of bounds and stops the clock at 3:55. But the Texans have to start worrying about getting the ball back here.

  • Davante Adams returns to the game

    Davante Adams takes the field on 2nd and 5 on the Jets’ next possession.

  • Ka’imi Fairbairn misses 27-yard field goal

    The Texans blew a huge chance to score a clear touchdown. Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a 43-yard field goal, but the Jets were called for an unnecessary roughness penalty, giving Houston an automatic first down.

    However, the Texans cannot get the ball in the end zone and have to make do with another field goal attempt. But this time Fairbairn hits the left upright and the kick attempt is no good.

  • Texans stall in red zone

    On 2nd and 7 from the 10-yard line, Joe Mixon takes a direct snap and overturns CJ Stroud, who runs into the end zone.

    To make matters worse, Stroud is sacked on the next play for a 15-yard loss by Micheal Clemons.

  • Texans are coming right back

    Houston drives for a score on the following possession. CJ Stroud hits Tank Dell for a 50-yard gain.

    Then on 4th and 1 from the Jets’ 15-yard line, Joe Mixon runs for two yards.

  • A wider look at Garrett Wilson’s TD catch

    Garrett Wilson’s TD catch was not on the goal line. It came on a 26-yard throw from Aaron Rodgers.

  • TOUCHDOWN, Jets

    After review, officials overturned the call on the field and ruled that Garrett Wilson hit his left shin in bounds. A great one-handed catch on a 26-yard throw accounts for a touchdown.

    The Jets lead 14-10 early in the fourth quarter.

  • Jets possible TD under review

    Garrett Wilson caught a pass in the back corner of the end zone that appeared to be a touchdown but was ruled incomplete. The play is under review to see if Wilson got both feet in bounds

  • Davante Adams is being checked for a concussion

    After being checked in the medical tent, Davante Adams went to the locker room. He is being checked for a possible concussion.

  • The Jets go after it again on 4th down

    The Jets went for it again on 4th down, this time a 4th and 1 from the Houston 22. A play-action fake didn’t fool the Texans’ defense, and Aaron Rodgers nearly threw an interception after scrambling.

    However, New York is saved by an illegal contact penalty on Derek Stingley Jr.

  • Davante Adams’ 4th down catch

    Here’s the play where Davante Adams may have been injured. A 17-yard catch for a first down, but he took a big hit.

  • Davante Adams in the medical tent

    Davante Adams looked to be okay on the sideline. But Prime Video’s Kaylee Hartung reports that an employee asked for his helmet and escorted him to the medical tent to be checked out.

  • Jets get a 4th down

    The Jets go for it on 4th and 2 from the Houston 48 and convert with Aaron Rodgers hitting Davante Adams for a 17-yard gain.

    However, Adams was shaken by the tackle.

  • Field goals: Texans 10, Jets 7

    Houston drives just 20 yards on its opening drive of the second half, but that’s enough for Ka’imi Fairbairn to kick a 54-yard field goal.

    Texas takes the lead again, 10–7.