C.J. Stroud picked up another piece of hardware before the Texans even got to Wednesday practice.
The NFL named the Houston quarterback the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week Six after he went off in Houston’s 34-31 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Stroud threw for 312 yards, three touchdowns and posted a 116.3 passer rating in the victory. It’s the fourth time he has won the award since his 2023 rookie season.
The recognition fits the stretch Stroud has been on. He’s been getting plenty of praise over the past few weeks for playing some of the best quarterback in the NFL in 2026, and the numbers back it up.
Through six weeks, he sits second in the league in passing yards with 1,714, trailing only Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. He’s also driving the NFL’s fourth-best passing offense at 270.2 yards per game.
That production looks even more striking when set against Houston’s 0-4 start. The Texans’ defense has been the reason the record has been so hard to digest, with Stroud giving the team a chance late in games against the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys during the first four weeks. Houston still lost each of those games on walk-off scores.
Stroud hasn’t let that slow him down. His work through the air has powered the Texans’ current two-game winning streak and helped revive optimism around the franchise’s 25th anniversary season.
One teammate summed up what’s been obvious inside the locker room for a while.
"His confidence, his poise, his leadership ability has been at an all time high. We're feeding off that really.
He's leading this team. We're obviously not where we want to be record wise, but he's starting to heat up and keep going and giving us all the energy we need to make a run."
The stat line matches the praise. Stroud has thrown for at least 260 yards in five of his six games, has at least one touchdown pass in five of six, and has only one interception in 219 pass attempts. He’s playing aggressive football without giving the ball away much at all.
With the New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts next on the schedule, some around the team believe Houston could push that form into a six-game win streak and climb to 6-4 after an 0-4 start in 11 weeks of play. If that happens, the Texans would be right in the AFC playoff mix with seven games left to move up the conference standings.
For now, the award is just more confirmation of what Houston has seen all along: Stroud is rolling, and the rest of the league is catching up.
In Other News...
DeMeco Ryans Just Sent A Warning Texans Fans Should Notice
DeMeco Ryans did not let the Texans win over the Jaguars mask what he saw on defense. After the game, the Houston coach made it clear that tackling needs to get better right away, pointing out that his unit was often in the right place but did not finish the play. Too many runners were able to bounce off contact, and that kind of missed opportunity is the sort of detail a coach notices even in a victory.
The timing makes the message more pointed, with the Giants coming next and bringing a physical rushing attack to the matchup. For Houston, that puts the spotlight squarely on fundamentals, because being in position will not be enough if the tackles are not completed. Ryans warning sounded less like postgame frustration and more like an early reminder that the margin for error shrinks fast against a team built to run through arm tackles. [Read more 🡒]
Texans May Already Be Moving On From Wyatt Teller
Wyatt Tellers fit in Houston has not gone the way the Texans likely hoped when they brought him in on a two-year deal. Instead of locking down a starting job, the veteran has mostly settled in as a reserve, leaving the Texans with a rotation question that feels very much unresolved as the NFL trade deadline approaches.
According to ESPNs Dan Graziano, that has put Teller on the radar as a possible trade chip if the right offer comes along. For a Texans team trying to manage its roster efficiently, moving on would not be a shock, but it also would mean acknowledging quickly that this pairing never really found the footing Houston was looking for. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Linked To A Big Backfield Idea For Strouds Offense
With the Texans still looking to maximize the supporting cast around C.J. Stroud, Saquon Barkley has surfaced as a name worth watching in the kind of offseason idea that can change the feel of an offense quickly. The discussion is tied to Philadelphias willingness to even consider moving the veteran back, and Houston is among the teams mentioned as a possible fit because Barkleys all-around ability would give Stroud another dynamic piece to lean on.
The appeal is obvious for a Texans offense that wants more ways to stress defenses and create easier answers in the passing game. Still, the hurdle is just as clear: Barkley is getting close to 30, and that naturally shapes how other teams would value him in any trade conversation. For now, it is a matter of fit and possibility rather than a deal that is close to happening. [Read more 🡒]