Through the first seven games, the Houston Texans’ offense has not been as much of a problem in their 2-5 start as the defense. Quarterback C.J. Stroud is actually having one of the best seasons of his NFL career so far and he has also started to play more aggressive to drive the downfield.
"I just knew how we were practicing. We would practice all these plays and throw the ball down the field and have all these explosives," Stroud said. "Some things in the game wouldn't go right or we would have a three and out. I just feel like even through those, you can still be aggressive. I think 'Cales' does a great job and honestly, he's been very aggressive. I appreciate him trusting me with the ball and allowing me even to be able to make mistakes because
I think sometimes when you're not being aggressive, it's like you're not really giving yourself a chance to push the ball down the field and whatnot."
Stroud will have a challenge on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite their 0-7 record, the Bolts actually have a top-10 pass defense, allowing the seventh-fewest passing yards and fifth-fewest passing touchdowns. However, part of that is probably because of how poor their run defense is since Los Angeles has allowed the third-most rushing touchdowns of any team in the league.
"I thought we've been doing a great job and protection's been great," Stroud said. "I think the pass game's starting to open up the run a little bit, but we have to be more balanced as well."
That makes this game a good opportunity for the Texans to get their run game going and be a more balanced offense. With David Montgomery out, that leaves second-year running back Woody Marks to handle the bulk of the carries.
Kickoff from SoFi Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. locally on CBS.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: CJ Stroud says Texans need "to be more balanced" with the run game
