Stroud and four Fairbairn field goals lift Texans to first win, 26-3 over Titans

C.J. Stroud ran for a touchdown and threw another as Houston earned its first win of the season Sunday, beating Tennessee 26-3 at Nissan Stadium. Ka'imi Fairbairn made four field goals, and Will Anderson Jr. recorded three sacks as the Texans improved to 1-4.

Tennessee scored on its opening possession, a 30-yard Joey Slye field goal, and never added another point. Houston answered with 26 straight points, holding the Titans to 187 total yards and dropping them to 0-5.

Fairbairn's first-half kicks came from 45, 35, 26 and 53 yards. Two followed Tennessee turnovers: Jalen Pitre recovered a Tyjae Spears fumble, then Jake Hansen intercepted Cam Ward. The Titans kept those short-field possessions out of the end zone, but Houston still reached halftime ahead 12-3.

The Texans turned that advantage into a 19-3 lead on the first possession of the second half. Their 17-play drive consumed 8 minutes, 23 seconds. On third-and-11, Stroud escaped pressure and found Kayshon Boutte for 23 yards along the sideline to keep it alive.

Stroud finished the possession with a two-yard run to the pylon. The touchdown came with 6:37 remaining in the third quarter, leaving Tennessee trailing by 16 points after spending most of the period on defense.

A nine-yard touchdown pass to Jaylin Noel with 14:09 left in the fourth completed the scoring. Stroud finished 26 of 34 for 261 yards, one passing touchdown and no interceptions. Xavier Hutchinson led Houston with 65 receiving yards, while Noel caught all five of his targets for 41 yards.

Ward completed 23 of 36 passes for 170 yards and an interception. Anderson accounted for three of Houston's four sacks, including two on Tennessee's final possession. Danielle Hunter supplied the other sack and pressure on Ward's interception.

Woody Marks carried 15 times for 62 yards for Houston. David Montgomery left with a groin injury after five carries for 11 yards and did not return. Tennessee cornerback Cor'Dale Flott also left with a chest injury, while Texans safety Pitre hurt his shoulder late.

Houston now travels to London to face Jacksonville next Sunday. Tennessee visits Indianapolis, still seeking its first victory. The Texans' official account shared the celebration after Sunday's final.

Sources

Official team game report · ESPN: Final box score, plays and Associated Press recap · Independent postgame reporting