Not a bad homecoming performance for C.J. Stroud Sunday afternoon.
Stroud, a native of Los Angeles, threw for a season-high 384 yards and tied his career high in touchdown passes with five as the Houston Texans rolled past theLos Angeles Chargers in a 44-22 victory at SoFi Stadium. Despite a slow offensive start, Houston found a rhythm in the second quarter and never looked back.
"C.J. has brought just elite execution and playmaking ability," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said following Sunday's win. "Even when it's not there, seeing him scramble, step up in the pocket and make plays running. He really gives that confidence to the entire team. When the defensive guys, they see him up making plays, everyone is excited. Everyone knows the type of energy,
the type of momentum that he brings to our entire team when he's making those plays and he's done it all year."
Stroud, who wanted to see an uptick in consistency after Week 7's overtime loss to the New York Giants, threw an early pick on a pass that was batted at the line of scrimmage. He missed Nico Collins on a third-down conversion and overthrew Marvin Harrison Jr. in the second quarter.
C.J. Stroud and Kayshon Boutte with a 63-yard TD 👏
— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026
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Outside of that, he was near-perfect, throwing six passes of over 20 yards downfield while also completing 60.0 percent of his pass attempts. He connected with four different receivers, including twice with Kayshon Boutte for touchdown passes.
Perhaps the play of the afternoon came during the second quarter, when Stroud connected with veteran wide receiver Tank Dell for a 63-yard touchdown pass, marking the second-longest touchdown throw of the season and the first touchdown reception for Dell since his season-ending leg injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in December of 2024.
"Credit to C.J. first and foremost; just the ball placement on that play was insane, outstanding ball placement, and Tank just ran underneath it, huge play for us," Ryans said. "Proud of both guys, getting that connection going, excited to see how that continues to progress throughout the year.”
For the season, Stroud has thrown for 2,251 yards, 16 touchdown passes and just two interceptions. He currently ranks top 10 among passers in completion percentage, touchdown passes, passing yards, passer raiting, QBR and turnovers.
C.J. Stroud to Tank Dell for the TD 🗣️
— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026
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"I’m grateful that God has allowed me to have some tough skin and be able to push through some tough times," Stroud said. "Days like this come from being on the other side when you’re not playing so great, so I’m grateful that God has allowed me to have the opportunity to play today.”
For his efforts, Stroud is Texans Wire's Week 9 Player of the Game. As a two-time recipient, he joins Will Anderson Jr. as the only other multi-Texans Wire Player of the Game honoree in 2026.
The Texans kick off next Sunday at Noon against the Cleveland Browns on CBS.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans Wire's Week 9 Player of the Game: QB C.J. Stroud
