C.J. Stroud passes for 470 yards against the Buccaneers, setting the NFL rookie record in the Texans' 39-37 win.
HOUSTON — \u2014 Down by four with less than a minute to go Sunday, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud<\/a> had complete confidence that he could rally the Houston Texans<\/a> to a victory.
\u201cGive me the ball,\u201d he said. \u201cCall the plays. I’m going to make the plays.\u201d
Stroud threw for five touchdowns and a rookie-record 470 yards to lift the Texans to a 39-37 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> in a wild back-and-forth game.
Baker Mayfield<\/a> put the Buccaneers on top with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cade Otton<\/a> with 46 seconds left.
But the Texans (4-4) drove down the field and Stroud found Tank Dell<\/a> in the end zone<\/a> with 6 seconds left to give the Texans the lead.
\u201cHis job was to beat the corner,\u201d Stroud said. \u201cAnd the Texans win. That drive \u2014 man it was special.\u201d
Stroud kneeled instead of attempting the 2-point conversion with kicker Ka\u02bbimi Fairbairn out with a quadriceps injury. The Buccaneers fumbled on the final play to give Houston the victory.
A 26-yard reception by Dell, who had 114 yards receiving, got the Texans within striking distance before Stroud found Dell again to complete the come-from-behind victory.
\u201cThat connection and that bond that Tank and C.J. have \u2014 it\u2019s real,\u201d coach DeMeco Ryans said. \u201cYou see it off the field, on the field, they have a true bond and it’s fun to watch those guys work together.\u201d
Stroud, the second overall pick in the draft, helped carry Houston\u2019s offense on a day when running back Dameon Pierce<\/a> sat out with an ankle injury and the Texans managed just 53 yards rushing.
\u201cIt was a gutsy performance from him,\u201d Ryans said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t all clean but he gutted it out. He was tough in the pocket. Made some plays, made some big-time throws for us.\u201d
Noah Brown<\/a> had six catches for 153 yards and a touchdown and Dalton Schultz<\/a> added 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown for the Texans.
Mayfield threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns and the Buccaneers (3-5) dropped their fourth straight game.
\u201cIt\u2019s a devastating loss, no doubt about it,” Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to eat it. All of us feel the same way, especially me. I\u2019ve been coaching a long time, I haven\u2019t been involved in too many of these where it\u2019s been back and forth like that and came down on the other end with a few things happening.\u201d
Stroud led the Texans to touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half to put them on top 30-23.
\u201cC.J. Stroud doesn\u2019t look like a rookie to me,\u201d Mayfield said. “He\u2019s so impressive, looks like a polished NFL quarterback. So, hats off to him. He played extremely, extremely well today.\u201d
The Bucs tied it on a 1-yard run by Rachaad White<\/a> before running back Dare Ogunbowale<\/a> nailed a tiebreaking 29-yard field goal<\/a> to put Houston on top 33-30 with about nine minutes to go.
He handled the kickoff duties in the second half with Fairbairn out with a quadriceps injury. But Houston went for 2 on each of its three second-half touchdowns, before Ogunbowale made the big field goal.
He\u2019s the first non-kicker or punter to make a field goal since Wes Welker did it on Oct. 10, 2004, for the Dolphins against New England.
\u201cDare, he\u2019s truly the player of the game,\u201d Ryans said. \u201cFor him stepping up the way he did for us was outstanding by him.\u201d
Tampa Bay extended its lead to 20-10 on a 49-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin<\/a> early in the third quarter.
Brown took a short pass from Stroud and dashed 75 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the next drive to cut the lead. The Texans attempted a 2-point conversion with Fairbairn out. But Stroud was intercepted by Joe Tryon-Shoyinka<\/a> leave the Bucs up 20-16.
McLaughlin added a 55-yard field goal to push it to 23-16 with 9\u00bd minutes left in the third.
Schultz caught a 26-yard pass on third-and-11 to extend Houston\u2019s next possession. Stroud then hit Dell in the corner of the end zone for a 29-yard TD that cut the lead to 23-22. The 2-point conversion failed when Stroud\u2019s throw to Dell fell short.
Schultz grabbed a 9-yard pass for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and Stroud ran for the 2-point conversion to put the Texans up 30-23 before White\u2019s fourth-quarter score. A 53-yard reception by Mike Evans<\/a> set up that score.
The Texans took a 7-3 lead when Stroud connected with Nico Collins<\/a> on a 14-yard score with about nine minutes left in the first quarter.
Mayfield connected with Otton on a 3-yard TD pass to put Tampa Bay on top 10-7.
Mayfield threw a 9-yard pass to White on third down to get the Buccaneers to the 1. White waltzed into the end zone on the next play to push the lead to 17-7 with about nine minutes until halftime.
The Texans cut the lead to 17-10 on a 50-yard field goal by Fairbairn with five minutes left in the second quarter.
Schultz fumbled after a reception on Houston\u2019s first drive, and it was recovered Antoine Winfield Jr<\/a>. on the Houston 42. The Buccaneers took a 3-0 lead on a 35-yard field goal by McLaughlin.
INJURIES
Buccaneers: CB Jamel Dean<\/a> left in the first quarter with a concussion. \u2026 DB Josh Hayes<\/a> left in the third quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. \u2026 Houston S M.J. Stewart<\/a> injured a shoulder in the second quarter. \u2026 DT Hassan Ridgeway<\/a> left in the third with an ankle injury. \u2026 LB Jake Hansen<\/a> injured his hand in the third. \u2026 WR John Metchie left in the second half with a rib injury. … S Jimmie Ward<\/a> injured his hamstring.
UP NEXT
Bucanneers: Host Tennessee next Sunday.
Texans: Visit Bengals next Sunday.
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AP NFL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nfl<\/a><\/p>\n