The NFL didn't do the Houston Texans any favors with the schedule this season. The Texans opened 2026 against the Bills and QB Josh Allen, and week two brings the Bengals and QB Joe Burrow to town. Allen put on a show in the season opener, and if CJ Stroud doesn't want to get outperformed again, there are a couple areas to pay attention to.
On one hand, he should be able to find success because of the Bengals' defensive scheme. On the other hand, Stroud needs to be weary of a making a certain mistake (again). Let's break it down further.
2 keys to CJ Stroud playing well against the Bengals
Stroud would've had a great game against the Bills in week one if it wasn't for one thing: fumbles. He lost the ball while getting sacked in the first quarter, and it led to a field goal. On the Texans' final drive of the game, when they needed a touchdown to win, he lost another fumble on a sack. Unfortunately for Houston, the Bengals defense had a knack for forcing fumbles in week one.
Cincinnati beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-27. The Bengals forced Bucs QB Baker Mayfield to fumble twice, and they also forced one from running back Bucky Irving. Stroud will need to be more aware of his surroundings in the pocket in order to protect the football against the Bengals. Similar to Allen, the Texans can't afford to give Burrow extra possessions.
Stroud acknowledged the challenge ahead of him at a press conference Wednesday.
"Their D-line is really good," Stroud said. "Dexter Lawrence is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL with BJ Hill. Jonathan Allen's playing some really good ball as well. I think their ends are good as well, their linebackers are young, they fly around and make a lot of plays. Their back end has been playing together for a while (in the) same system. They looked good against Tampa and made a lot of plays, had a lot of turnovers, and I think they do a good job, so we definitely have to be on our P's and Q's."
Luckily for Stroud, he should be able to exploit the defensive scheme the Bengals showed in week one. Cincinnati ran man coverage on 36.1% of coverage snaps - the third-highest rate in the NFL - and allowed 7.8 yards per play (NextGen Stats). Stroud has thrown 20 of his 25 career interceptions against zone coverage, so he could be free to sling it if the Bengals don't make too many adjustments.
Against the Bills on Sunday, Stroud completed 14 of 19 passes on in-breaking routes for 173 yards and a touchdown (NGS). Mayfield was 4-of-5 on throws to the middle of the field against the Bengals, so the Texans might be able to do damage there.
Houston also needs to do a better job of getting their tight end(s) involved in the passing game. Dalton Schultz caught 4-of-8 targets against the Bills, and his 50% catch rate tied for the lowest on the team. The other three tight ends (Marlin Klein, Foster Moreau and Cade Stover) combined for four receptions on four targets.
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