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HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans have shaken off their awful start to the season with a six-game winning streak that has them in the thick of the AFC playoff race with three regular-season games left.
C.J. Stroud threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns and the Texans (9-5) jumped out to a big early lead and cruised to a 40-20 victory over the slumping Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
The winning streak is their longest since a nine-game run in 2018. They’ve rebounded from an 0-3 start and are one game behind the Jaguars (10-4) in the AFC South and currently in line for a wild-card playoff spot.
“We started off a little rough of course but you want to be playing your best ball in December going into January,” Stroud said. “Since we’re doing that it’s really good… every week we just keep progressing and I think that’s all we can do right now.”
Coach DeMeco Ryans, who constantly preaches a one-game-at-a-time mentality, insisted he didn’t even realize the length of his team’s winning streak until told by a reporter postgame.
“If you go out and handle business each week you’re just putting yourself in a better spot,” he said. “Not really focused on what everyone else in the AFC is doing. Focus on the Texans. Focus on stepping your game up and playing better.”
It’s the sixth straight loss for the Cardinals (3-11), whose last win came Nov. 3 against the Cowboys.
“We got beat by a good football team,” coach Jonathan Gannon said. “We didn’t play well enough, and we’re going to go back to work.”
