C.J. Stroud leads Texans to a win over Steelers

Rookie C.J. Stroud had another big game Sunday, throwing for 306 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Houston Texans to a 30-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It’s the second straight win for the Texans (2-2) and their first at home since beating the Chargers on Dec. 26, 2021. Houston’s 24-point win marked its largest margin of victory since a 57-14 win over Tennessee on Oct. 1, 2017. The Texans next face the Falcons on Sunday.

Stroud, the second overall pick in the draft, continued his strong start and he threw a TD pass to get things going in a first half where the Texans built a 16-0 lead. Sunday was his second 300-yard passing game and he has thrown six touchdown passes with no interceptions in his first four games.

Kenny Pickett threw for 114 yards with an interception and struggled to move the offense before leaving late in the third quarter with a knee injury. The loss ends a twogame winning streak for the Steelers (2-2) and will likely increase the pressure on third-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada after another subpar offensive performance. Mitch Trubisky threw for 18 yards after Pickett left.

Buccaneers 26, (at) Saints 9: Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes for Tampa Bay, Derek Carr’s surprise return from a shoulder injury did little to help New Orleans’ anemic offense, and the Buccaneers beat the Saints. Mayfield completed 25 of 32 for 246 yards including TDS to Cade Otten, Trey Palmer and Deven Thompkins as the Bucs (3-1) took over first place in the NFC South.

(At) Eagles 34, Commanders 31, OT: Jalen Hurts threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns, and Josh Elliott kicked a 54-yard field goal in overtime to lift Philadelphia over Washington for its second straight 4-0 start. Elliott also kicked field goals of 41, 47 and 36 yards before booming the winner that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

(At) Bills 48, Dolphins 20:

Josh Allen threw four touchdown passes and ran for a score, and Buffalo brought Miami’s unbeaten start to an emphatic end. Buffalo (3-1) showed the Dolphins (3-1) a thing or two about efficient offense while taking over first place in the AFC East.

Vikings 21, (at) Panthers 13:

Kirk Cousins threw two touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson and D.J. Wonnum returned Bryce Young’s fumble 51 yards for a momentum-changing touchdown, and Minnesota got its first win of the season.

Ravens 28, (at) Browns 3: Lamar Jackson ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more against Cleveland’s top-ranked defense, leading Baltimore over the Browns, who played without injured quarterback Deshaun Watson.

(At) Titans 27, Bengals 3: Ryan Tannehill threw for 240 yards and a touchdown and Tennessee rebounded from the franchise’s worst offensive performance in 49 years by routing Cincinnati. The Titans (2-2) managed only 94 yards in losing last week in Cleveland, and they bounced back strongly. They scored 27 unanswered points and led 24-3 at halftime, giving coach Mike Vrabel his first win in four tries against Cincinnati.

Broncos 31, (at) Bears 28: Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns, Wil Lutz kicked a tiebreaking field goal with just under two minutes remaining and Denver bounced back from one of the most lopsided losses in franchise history by rallying to beat the Bears. Denver (1-3) was coming off a 70-20 blowout by Miami. The Bears’ Justin Fields threw for a career-high 335 yards and four touchdowns. He completed his first 16 passes and was 28 of 35.

Rams 29, (at) Colts 23: Matthew Stafford overcame a hip injury that left him limping at times Sunday to throw a 22-yard touchdown pass to record-breaking rookie Puka Nacua in overtime and give the Rams a victory.

The Rams (2-2) have won four straight in the series, three in a row in Indy — this one coming after they blew a 23-point lead in the final 21 minutes of regulation. Stafford was 27 of 40 with 319 yards, one touchdown and one interception. But it was his grit that won this one.