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C.J. Stroud Had Classy Message for Caleb Williams After Texans’ Win Over Bears

Kristen Wong

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Sunday Night Football’s matchup between the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears was a tale of two quarterbacks. One of them was C.J. Stroud, who threw for 260 yards and one touchdown in his team’s 19-13 win; the other was Caleb Williams, who was scrambling for his life all night long. 

Williams, the No. 1 pick by the Bears in April, was 23-of-37 for 174 passing yards and two interceptions on Sunday and has yet to throw his first touchdown this season. The USC product found himself under heavy pressure from the Texans’ pass rush throughout the game and was sacked a total of seven times. 

After Williams’s lackluster outing, Stroud dapped up the rookie on the field postgame and gave him a few words of support. 

When asked what he told Williams during that exchange, Stroud said, “I just told him, ‘Everything that got you here is going to take care of you in the long run. Don’t put your head down, don’t let a hard time humble you and just keep going. It’s not going to be easy, but you got picked at No. 1 for a reason, because they trust in you and believe in you.’ I wish him the best, but I definitely think he’ll be better as he goes on.”

Pure class from one former top-ten pick to another.

Heading into Week 3 of the regular season, the Bears will look to bounce back in a road matchup against the Indianapolis Colts while Stroud and the Texans will take on the Minnesota Vikings.

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Kristen Wong

KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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