INDIANAPOLIS -- C.J. Stroud led the Houston Texans to a pivotal divisional win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in his first game back from a concussion.
In his first game since suffering his head injury in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos, Stroud went 22-of-35 for 276 passing yards with an interception in Houston's 20-16 win over the Colts. And even with the turnover, coach DeMeco Ryans was overly optimistic about his quarterback because he feels Stroud's play will only elevate as the weeks progress.
"Overall, for him, coming back, not having played in a few weeks, he did a really nice job," Ryans said. If this is where he started, it's only up for him. So, I'm excited to see how he continues to progress."
Stroud admitted he was a "little rusty." After leading Houston to a field goal on the opening drive, the Texans' offense had back-to-back three-and outs featuring an illegal forward pass on a Stroud pass to tight end Dalton Schultz. Then Stroud threw an interception that sailed way over wideout Xavier Hutchison's reach and landing in Colts' safety Cam Bynum's possession in the second quarter.
But Stroud and the Texans were able to answer with an eight-play 67-yard touchdown drive capped by running back Nick Chubb scoring a four-yard rushing touchdown to put Houston up 10-6. After the interception, Stroud led Houston to 17 points as the Texans finished the day with 364 total yards.
"It's a big win. Big time game," Stroud said. "I thought I played really good. I thought every opportunity I had with the ball, I thought I made the right decision. A couple plays I want back. But I thought I did a really good job of taking what the defense was giving me. I think the type of team we have, I don't have to be Superman all the time."
One area Stroud shined was against the blitz. He averaged 12.9 yards per attempt against it, his second highest in a game this season (14.4 at Rams in Week 1), according to ESPN Analytics. A recipient of some of those completions against the extra heat was wideout Nico Collins.
Collins finished with 95 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown, becoming the second player this season to accomplish such a feat, joining Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (Week 4 against the Washington Commanders). He also became the second player in Texans' history with 95 receiving yards and a rush touchdown (running back Arian Foster twice in 2011).
"I'm glad my dog is back. You only get one brain; you got to take care of it," Collins said. "To come back to the game he loves, there's no better feeling than that."
Houston's one-score win was their fourth straight after losing five in a row to start the season. Now the Texans (7-5) are now one game behind the lead in the AFC South trailing the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Colts, who both are 8-4.
Per ESPN Analytics, the Texans' chances to win the division rose from 9% to 18% while the Colts sit at 46% and the Jaguars are at 36%. The Texans have a massive road game next week against the Kansas City Chiefs on "Sunday Night Football" with a chance to keep their winning streak going.