After a shaky first outing against the Patriots, quarterback C.J. Stroud fared much better against the Dolphins in his second preseason game.
The Texans started their first drive on the Dolphins’ 7-yard line after Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa threw an interception. But Houston didn’t end up scoring.
Stroud looked like a rookie on Houston’s first possession, as he didn’t get the snap off in time on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line, resulting in a delay of game penalty. On third-and-goal from the 6, Stroud had pressure in his face as he threw incomplete to the flat. Then on fourth-and-goal, Stroud and tight end Dalton Schultz weren’t on the same page and the pass was well incomplete.
But Stroud recovered well to help lead the Texans to points on their second possession. He started the drive with a short swing pass to Nico Collins that gained 7 yards. Stroud followed that with a 14-yard pass to Collins, a 14-yard pass to Noah Brown, and an 11-yard pass to Robert Woods on third-and-7 to move the chains.
Stroud’s third possession ended in a quick three-and-out. On the fourth, while Stroud spun out of a potential sack with a free rusher, Brown couldn’t catch the quarterback’s on-target pass that was thrown moving to his left.
Playing the entire first half, Stroud finished 7-of-12 passing for 60 yards.