The Arizona Cardinals' defense stood no chance against the Houston Texans’ high-octane offense on Sunday, as the team dropped its sixth consecutive game in blowout fashion, losing 40–20.
To make matters worse, all 40 points scored by the Texans were at the hands of quarterback CJ Stroud and the offense. Stroud, in particular, completed 22-of-29 passes for 260 yards and three touchdown passes.
If you want to talk about efficiency in this game, you can talk about Stroud all you want, as he posted a 137.1 passer rating. However, the true definition of efficient was wide receiver, Nico Collins, who hauled in three catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
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Collins, 26, first touchdown occurred on the second play from scrimmage, where Stroud hit him in stride on a 57-yard catch and run. The second was a little less exciting, as not only was the game already salted away, but it was only a four-yard catch. Nonetheless, the duo of Stroud and Collins absolutely cooked the Arizona secondary.
Another pass catcher that the Cardinals could not seem to keep up with was tight end Dalton Schultz, who snagged eight passes for 76 yards and a touchdown of his own.
It wasn’t only the passing game that the Cardinals struggled with, as the rushing attack was just as dynamic. The Texans saw 26-year-old Jawhar Jordan make his NFL debut, where he didn’t cease to impress. Jordan saw 15 carries for 101 yards, with his longest run being 50 yards.
In short, the playoff hopeful Houston Texans made a young Arizona defense look foolish, as both the run and pass proved to be unstoppable.
The Cardinals return home for Week 16, where they host the Atlanta Falcons (5–9). As for the Texans, they remain at home to host the lowly Las Vegas Raiders (2–12).
It was a week to forget for Arizona Cardinals fans.