(Cincinnati) C. J. Stroud once again demonstrated that he is the most exciting rookie at quarterback since Joe Burrow, whom he faced on Sunday.
Stroud, who was the second pick in the last NFL draft, had the upper hand against Burrow, ending the Cincinnati Bengals’ four-game winning streak.
He led a winning offensive sequence in the final minute in a second straight game, this time giving the Houston Texans a 30-27 victory.
With a tie on the board and 1:33 left in the fourth quarter, Stroud put the Texans (5-4) up 55 yards in six plays. He allowed kicker Matt Ammendola to make a 38-yard field goal on the last play of the game.
Ammendola had just signed a contract on Thursday after Ka’imi Fairbairn suffered a thigh injury earlier in the week.
“[The Bengals] knew it was going to be decided at the very end,” Stroud said. We knew it too. I went to talk to [Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans], and I told him, ‘we’re going to win this game.’ He looked me in the eyes and said, “I trust you.” »
Stroud connected with Dalton Schultz for 25 yards and Noah Brown for 22 yards on the decisive offensive drive. Brown finished the game with seven catches and 172 yards, and Devin Singletary ran for 150 yards and a major.
“I took a lot of big tackles in the game, but my offensive line fought,” Stroud said. I think that’s where we won the game, because of the offensive line. »
Stroud, 22, completed 23 of 39 passes for 356 yards and a touchdown. He also crossed the goal line himself once. Last week, his unit scored a winning touchdown by recovering the ball with less than a minute remaining against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“The thing about C.J. is his calmness in chaos,” Ryans said. He does not hesitate. He is convinced that he will succeed in games. »
That’s the kind of thing that’s usually said about Burrow, the fourth-year quarterback known for his decision-making and late-game heroics.
Burrow had 357 passing yards for two touchdowns, but had two interceptions in the fourth quarter. Despite everything, he allowed his club to erase a 13-point deficit in the third quarter.
The quarterback showed up at the stadium wearing a Montreal Alouettes jersey. His father, Jim Burrow, wore the colors of the Montreal team between 1977 and 1980.
Cam Taylor-Britt intercepted a Stroud pass with 3:41 left in the fourth quarter, and two plays later, Joe Mixon ran a 1-yard touchdown run to cut the Texans’ lead to 27-24 .
Evan McPherson tied the game with a 31-yard field goal, but Burrow’s offense never returned to the field.
“It was a tough loss,” Burrow said. I thought we were going to [win]. We missed a game. It’s disappointing. »
Ja’Marr Chase had five catches for 124 yards and a touchdown for the Bengals (5-4) and Tyler Boyd had eight catches for 117 yards. Trenton Irwin also scored a major through the air.
Sheldon Rankins had three sacks for the Texans.