ClutchPoints
Things keep on going south for C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. Under growing pressure to get their first win of the season, the Texans failed to accomplish that mission again on Sunday, as they suffered a 17-10 loss at the hands of Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville.
The Texans never led at any point in the Jacksonville game. The Jaguars struck first with a touchdown run by running back Bhayshul Tuten in the first quarter. After exchanging field goals in the second and third quarters, Houston and Jacksonville entered the fourth quarter with the Jaguars ahead by seven points. The Texans tied the score at 10-10 after Nico Collins found the end zone on a 50-yard touchdown reception.
The home team grabbed the lead back when Jags running back Travis Etienne Jr. punched in a 10-yard rushing touchdown with under two minutes left in the fourth period.
With still enough time to force overtime with a touchdown, the Texans looked for Stroud to deliver in the endgame. Instead, Houston’s hopes for a come-from-behind victory were squashed when Stroud threw an interception that punctuated a nine-play drive.
Stroud was looking to get the ball to wide receiver Christian Kirk near the end zone, but Jaguars defensive back Antonio Johnson telegraphed his pass. The former Ohio State Buckeyes star didn’t have much time in the pocket to process the motion downfield, with Jacksonville pass rushers quickly getting into the backfield with relative ease.
Texans last play of the day. The pressure from Josh Allen-Hines causes a tipped pass.
Very clear what Stroud was trying to do here. A clear throw might have got that ball to Kirk. pic.twitter.com/kC0gb2UZ3u
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) September 21, 2025
“We got beat off the edge and the defender hit CJ’s arm,” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryan said after the game, per DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.
Stroud could only think of what could have been had he connected with Kirk.
“I thought I had C Kirk down the middle,” Stroud said of the play.
The third-year pro also believed that Kirk would have scored a touchdown if the wideout caught the ball.
Stroud finished the game with 204 passing yards, a touchdown and two interceptions on 25-of-38 pass completions. On the season, Stroud has 599 passing yards and two touchdowns against three picks while completing 64 percent of his throws.
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