Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a career-high three interceptions in Sunday's 21-16 win over Arizona, but that won't slow the dynamic rookie. In athlete parlance, shooters shoot.
"Man, Steph Curry don't ever stop shooting," Stroud said after the game, via the team's official website. "I'm going to keep letting it ride. And I've got no shame in my game. I've definitely got to be smarter. No confidence is taken away from me. I'm going to keep letting it fly."
Stroud's first INT came sandwiched around three touchdown drives as the Texans raced out to a 21-10 halftime lead. His second and third interceptions came on the final two possessions, allowing the Cardinals a chance to win the game, but DeMeco Ryans' D came up with a stop each time. Arizona scored zero points off Stroud's three INTs.
"I thought we threw the ball really well," Stroud said. "I don't look at three plays and, like, dang, I had a bad game. Of course, I can't turn the ball over that much. Threw for 300 yards again two touchdowns. I don't think I played terrible, but of course, you can't turn the ball over."
Stroud had more INTs in Week 11 (three) than in his first nine career games (two).
It's much easier to clean up after a win than a loss. In back-to-back weeks, Stroud has thrown late picks, but each game the Texans stood tall and came out with a W. That's how good teams operate. Find a way to win even after stubbing your toe.
At this stage, we can no longer consider Ryans' club a fluke or just lucky to hang around. The schedule has been favorable, but outside the disappointment against Carolina, Houston has proven that it can make the plays needed to win games.
"For C.J., we continue to highlight the good he's doing," Ryans said. "You're talking about a young guy who can move the football down the field. You're going to have miscues and bad plays, but it's all about how you respond to those plays."
On Sunday, Stroud earned his fourth game this season with 300-plus yards passing and two-plus passing TDs (ties him for the third-most such games by a rookie QB in NFL history, behind Justin Herbert and Andrew Luck). Stroud's 336 pass yards in Week 11 moved him into fourth place for most passing yards in a player's first 10 career games with 2,962 -- trailing only Patrick Mahomes (3,185), Justin Herbert (3,015) and Andrew Luck (2,965).
