Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud took his team to task for how they approached Week 1 following a 14-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
"We didn't deserve to win that game because we didn't do the right things," Stroud said, via The Associated Press. "When you come out in the NFL lollygagging and going through the motions, that kind of happens. I think we'll be all right, but I think it's a good wakeup call for us."
Stroud blamed their attitude, calling the loss a wake-up call after "the way we practiced this week. I think we could have practiced better."
It's one thing for a club to have confidence that it can win every Sunday -- it's a requirement for any successful NFL team. However, Stroud believes he and his team could have grinded better before the game.
"I love the confidence we have, but there's a type of mindset of, 'Did I do enough?'" he added. "I think it's healthy, because you'll probably do more. Just for me, preparing, I've got to do a better job, and I've also got to hold all of my guys accountable. And it's the first game of the year. We got a lot of exotic looks we did not expect. They did, too. They made the plays. You can come up with a million excuses. We've just got to be better."
Week 1 can be viewed as an outlier in most seasons. The change-over from year to year for every team is so drastic, and the new wrinkles not yet put on tape can be difficult to manage in-game.
Sunday, Stroud and the Texans offense couldn't puncture a stingy Rams defense. Houston went just 2 of 9 on third downs, settling for three first-half field goals. In the final two quarters, the Texans managed just 121 total net yards, turned it over twice -- including a final possession fumble -- and put a goose egg in the score column.
Houston entered banged up, missing receiver Christian Kirk and guard Ed Ingram to open the contest. Then the offensive line dealt with in-game injuries that shuffled the already questionable unit.
"Injuries happen," Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said. "Guys go down all the time. Do we not show up? Do we put the ball away and go home? We compete. It doesn't matter who's out there. ... We don't complain. We don't make excuses for that."
The Texans defense kept them in the game, but the offense couldn't do enough to change the outcome.
"It's not easy, (but) it's something, just, what are you going to do, complain about it?" Stroud asked. "Are you going to lay down, or are you going to go play? For me, I just try to go and compete as best I can and show those guys, I don't care who's in there. I trust in you. I try to play as hard as I can to show them I'm there for them."
With a home prime-time tilt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on tap in Week 2, we'll see if Sunday's output was a blip or a sign that even with an offseason of change, the Texans are in for another season of struggles on offense.
