C.J. Stroud Settles In, Texans Trail Ravens At Half

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud took a couple drives to get going, but once he did, he starting let it rip.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud settled in as the first half went on in his regular season NFL debut, as they trail the Baltimore Ravens 7-6 at halftime at M&T Bank Stadium Sunday.

After a turnover on downs and a pair of three-and-outs, Stroud helped lead a 15-play, 67-yard drive that resulted in Houston's first points of the season. He was efficient in the opening 30 minutes, completing 13-of-20 passes for 91 yards.

Stroud's first-career completion was to himself, as a tipped ball at the line of scrimmage came right back to him for no gain.

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The Rancho Cucamonga, California, native was timid in his throws early on, as his longest completion was for seven yards. On the Texans' fourth drive, Stroud had three separate completions of at least seven yards.

On third downs, Stroud took a liking to wide receiver Robert Woods, as the two linked up to pick up a third-and-5 and third-and-4. Houston kicked Ka'imi Fairbairn knocked through a 35-yard field goal with 3:56 to go in the first half.

Fairbairn trimmed the lead to one point, making a 38-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson hit wide receiver Zay Flowers on a 21-yard completion late in the first quarter to Houston's 11-yard line. Two plays later, running back J.K. Dobbins plunged four yards into the end zone for a touchdown.

Head coach DeMeco Ryans got aggressive on a fourth-and-1, and Houston called a run-pass option. As Stroud rolled to his left, he had no time to find his intended target, tight end Dalton Schultz, as Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen was already in his face for the sack and turnover on downs.

However, that didn't matter, as Texans cornerback Steven Nelson intercepted Jackson on Houston's 15-yard line. No. 3 overall pick, defensive end Will Anderson Jr., got enough pressure on Jackson to not let him step into his throw, which led to a soft pass that Nelson was able to undercut.