C.J. Stroud made sure to cap off Monday night’s blowout victory over the Cowboys with a laugh.
The second-year signal-caller made a gaffe when asked about the Texans’ offensive line after the game, first crediting his teammates, before suffering what some might consider a Freudian slip.
“O-Line and D-Line are the reason we lose... excuse me. They are the reason we win – take it off the record,” Stroud laughed with reporters.
Originally, Stroud started by calling out several of his teammates after suffering only one sack for just the second time all season.
“They always do amazing. I’ve been better with getting the ball out on time and that helps our guys out,” Stroud said.
“I thought Tytus (Howard) played amazing, he was in there battling. He and Micah (Parsons) were going head-to-head the whole game. Laremy Tunsil played well, Jarrett Patterson, Juice (Scruggs), Shaq (Mason), they are the heartbeat of our team.”
"O-line and D-line are the reason why we win and lose. Excuse me...they're the reason why we WIN."
— Texans QB C.J. Stroud 😂 pic.twitter.com/2XLZ0u2gUa
After giving up four sacks last week in the loss to the Lions, the Texans lead the league in quarterback hurries and rank second behind only the Cleveland Browns in times their quarterback has been pressured.
Having Nico Collins back on Monday was a big reason for Houston’s bounce back win, while the blocking up front went a long way to helping Joe Mixon rush for over 100 yards and three touchdowns.
Houston now heads home to host the Titans next Sunday afternoon. Tennessee has lost two games in a row coming in and owns only one road win – a 31-12 upset over the Dolphins back in Week 4.
Facing a defense that has counted for the seventh-fewest sacks this season, Stroud should enjoy another comfortable night in the pocket – even if his true thoughts on the line play have now been revealed.