Atlanta Falcons Could Be on Wrong Side of History vs. Houston Texans, C.J. Stroud
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has a chance to make history this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons.
Stroud has yet to throw a pick through four games and is 25 completions away from tying the NFL record for most passes without an interception. The record is currently held by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who established the mark in 2016. Stroud is cognizant of the fact that the Falcons have a chance to put his record to rest.
"They fly around, they’re aggressive, they want to guard you man to man and they’re going to be in your face all game. For us, we’ve got to be ready to play a really, really hard game," Stroud said. "They play super extremely hard, and we’ve got a lot of respect for those guys, but excited to play against them. I think we can do some good things, but it’s going to be hard because those guys are good.”
In particular, the player most likely to end Stroud's historic run is Jessie Bates III, who leads the team with three interceptions already this season. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans pointed out how the team is scouting Bates going into the game.
“Yeah, Jessie [Bates III] does a good job patrolling the middle of the field," Ryans said. "You talk about a guy who plays that robbertype style. He can jump those intermediate, in-breaking routes, and he can make you pay. So, we have to be very aware of Jessie. He’s done it for a long time there in Cincinnati, and now he’s been a proven playmaker there for the Atlanta defense, and it shows.”
The Falcons defense is going to have to make plays against a Texans offense that has scored 30+ points in each of the past two games. If they do so, they'll have a shot to snap their losing streak and move back over .500.
The Texans and Falcons kick off at 1 p.m. inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.