MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — After just two snaps, the Houston Texans had a good idea how Sunday’s game against the Vikings would turn out.
On the first play, Houston quarterback CJ Stroud threw a 17-yard pass to wide receiver Nico Collins, giving the Texans the ball near the halfway line. However, tight end Cade Stover was penalized for holding, negating the big gain.
On the next snap, Stroud looked for wideout Tank Dell on a crossing pattern, but his pass was intercepted by defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill picked it off, giving the Vikings the ball at the Houston 21-yard line.
Six games later, the Vikings were leading 7-0 and on their way to a 34-7 victory over the Texans.
The holding offense against Stover was one of 11 penalties against the Texans on Sunday, a week after they committed 12 penalties in a win over the Bears.
“You can’t win like that when you have something positive in mind and the penalty ruins it. It takes away everyone’s energy,” said Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans. “And losing the ball – a lot of mistakes today. You can’t do that in this league and expect to win.”
Quarterbacks losing the ball is not uncommon – unless you’re Stroud. He had thrown 266 passes without an interception, a streak that stretched back to Nov. 19, 2023, and spanned nine starts, including two playoff games.
His next series lasted only 26 throws, as Vikings safety Camryn Bynum recorded an interception in the fourth quarter that the Vikings promptly converted into their final touchdown.
Stroud finished the game completing 20 of 31 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown, as well as two interceptions. He was also sacked four times. After the game, Stroud gave the Vikings credit, but admitted that many of the Texans’ mistakes were self-inflicted.
“I made the right decisions all day,” Stroud said. “I felt like I played well, other than the turnovers, especially the one at the end. I saw it well. I tried to stay in the pocket and deliver as best as I could, but they did some coverage and pressure that they did at a very, very high level, so kudos to those guys.”
The Texans outgained the Vikings 296 to 274 yards, but were unable to establish a running game without running back Joe Mixon, putting even more pressure on Stroud and the passing game.
“I’ve been through games like this where people say, ‘Man, we look terrible!’ But that’s not true,” Stroud said. “They kicked our butts today. They’re a great team and they’re going to continue to do great things, but we know what we are and we didn’t bring that to the field today.”
“As soon as we get the negative points sorted out, we’ll get going. I’m excited because now things can only get better,” he added. “There are lessons to be learned from this. I’m glad it happened so early. Now it’s time to get to work.”
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