Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has put his only blemish -- a first quarter interception -- from Monday night's 34-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys behind him and shifted his focus to this week's divisional matchup with the Tennessee Titans.
"I'm moving on," Stroud answered when asked about what happened on the pick. "That's a good question to ask me on Monday."
Houston was primed to take an early two-score lead when Stroud tossed a pass over Nico Collins' post route and into the hands of Cowboys safety Malik Hooker at the Dallas 12-yard line. Stroud said the decision was correct, but his execution was lacking.
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"Trying to anticipate it, I thought it was a great read," Stroud said. "My coaches did as well. Just missed it a couple inches high."
The interception came as Stroud's seventh of the season, already two more in 11 games than the five he had when he was the NFL's offensive rookie of the year in 2023. The total places him in the middle of the pack in the NFL in terms of interceptions, tied for 12th most in the league so far. Stroud's five in his first season were the least among quarterbacks who played in 15 games or more last year.
Stroud's pick came on the heels of a two-interception night in the Texans' 26-23 loss to the Detroit Lions on Nov. 10. He's had consecutive games with interceptions twice this season having thrown one each in the wins over the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots in early October. Stroud did that only once as a rookie.
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Turnover aside, the quarterback got back on track against Dallas. His 257 yards passing were his best since beating the Indianapolis Colts Oct. 27. Completing 23-of-34 passes gave him his best completion percentage (67.7%) since the Bills win. He also kept the offense moving through the air by throwing for 13 first downs.
Stroud said taking chances is what breeds his success and a fear of turning the ball over would hinder that.
"Shooters got to shoot," Stroud said. "You live by the sword, you die by the sword. So, I'm just going to continue to play and throw with anticipation. Throw no looks. I'm gonna be me. I'm going out there to have fun. So, if it means I got to throw more picks to get us to win, it is what it is."
Although he's had an uptick in interceptions, Stroud said nothing has changed in his decision-making between his incredibly accurate rookie season and slightly less sophomore campaign.
"All coaches trust me, and I believe that I'm able to make some really good reads and also be able to check it down I need to or make the smart play.
"So, I don't think it's just all of sudden C.J. is throwing a whole bunch of picks. No, I'm doing the same things I've been doing."