Even though Houston’s offense didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard, Texans running back Dameon Pierce was impressed with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Sunday, Stroud made his first NFL regular season start for the Texans. The game didn’t go quite as planned, with Baltimore handing Houston a 25-9 loss to open the year. But the end result isn’t what stood out to Pierce.
“He did damn good, in my eyes,” Pierce said of Stroud’s play, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. “He stayed calm, he stayed poised. We got a quarterback and a few nickels.”
Stroud threw 44 passes in his debut, completing 28 for 242 yards. He was sacked five times in the contest and finished without a touchdown pass. He also did not throw any interceptions.
Maybe that’s not idea, but it’s pretty solid for the No. 2 overall pick. It’s especially impressive considering the Texans’ struggles in recent years.
Pierce ended Sunday’s contest with 38 yards on 11 carries in the loss. He also caught two passes from Stroud for nine additional yards.
Stroud gets the opportunity to pick up his first win next weekend as Houston hosts Indianapolis. It’s the first AFC South game for the Texans.
Mutual respect between Stroud, Pierce
Pierce showed major respect for Stroud following Sunday’s game, despite the lopsided result. The respect is mutual. During the preseason the rookie quarterback praised the running back for his style of play.
“Every single run he was running hard,” Stroud said, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. “That’s what you can expect from him. I think he’s a slept-on person who can catch the ball out of the backfield.”
Pierce concluded his rookie season in 2022 with 939 yards on the ground and 165 receiving yards. He accounted for four total touchdowns for the Texans.
A former Florida standout, Pierce was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by Houston. He made a quick impact out of the backfield in his first season with the Texans. With a full year under his belt, there are some bigger expectations for the ball carrier in 2023.
As we saw Sunday, there’s still a lot of growth to be done in the Texans offense. But with Stroud under center and Pierce in the backfield, Houston might have the pieces to get the job done.
Sunday’s game against Indianapolis is scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff with the game airing on FOX.
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