HOUSTON -- According to C.J. Stroud, he's one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL when he's dealing. And against the San Francisco 49ers, Stroud delivered what coach DeMeco Ryans called one of Stroud's "best games ever" in the Houston Texans' 26-15 win Sunday.
Stroud had a season high in passing yards (318) while tying his career high in completions (30) with two touchdowns and one interception. The third-year quarterback did most of his damage in the first half -- throwing for 235 yards.
"I know what I can do. I know I'm a top guy in this league when I'm rolling," Stroud said. "I just got to keep that going."
More impressively, Stroud did it while missing the team's top receiver, Nico Collins (concussion) and another starter in Christian Kirk (hamstring).
In their absence, third-year wideout Xavier Hutchinson had 69 receiving yards and a touchdown, and rookie Jaylin Noel built on his 77-yard outing against the Seattle Seahawks last week with a 63-yard performance. Fellow rookie Jayden Higgins caught his second touchdown of his career, and Braxton Berrios made key receptions to convert third downs.
Stroud, who hadn't thrown for over 300 yards since Week 5 of last season, shouted out his pass catchers after the game and said, "Everybody balled."
The Texans found ways to counter what the 49ers (5-3) did on defense. When they brought a standard four-man pass rush and dropped seven into coverage, Stroud went 15-for-18 for 144 yards with a touchdown, and he had a passer rating of 121.5 when blitzed -- as he threw a touchdown after going 11-of-13 for 91 yards.
But the unsung heroes behind Stroud's strong outing were his offensive linemen. After he got the game ball from Ryans in the locker room, he said, "I need six more of these" to give to the offensive line.
Stroud was pressured on only 21.4% of his dropbacks, a season low, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He wasn't sacked, marking the first time (in a game that he played beyond a quarter) that he wasn't since Week 6 of his rookie season against the Atlanta Falcons.
"Our offensive line did an outstanding job," Ryans said. "For us to stay upright the entire game when it wasn't there, C.J. made, again, great decisions of stepping up in the pocket, taking what was given, taking what was there for him. So proud of the way C.J. played. Proud of the way the offensive line played."
The offensive line also provided rushing lanes, as Houston totaled 157 yards on the ground -- the second most this season.
Despite missing key players, San Francisco had still been a tough unit defensively. The 49ers ranked seventh in points allowed per game (19.7) coming into the afternoon, but an up-and-down Houston offense found its rhythm.
Next up will be another tough defense with the Denver Broncos (6-2) coming to town Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS). The Broncos, who were allowing the fifth-fewest points (18.9) per game by Sunday's end, intercepted Dallas Cowboys All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott twice in a 44-24 win in Week 8.