Texans QB CJ Stroud's Celebratory Sideline Antics Steal the Show in Preseason Opener

The Houston Texans faced the Chicago Bears in a thrilling NFL preseason game. The teams competed in the annual Hall of Fame Game, marking the start of the 2024-25 season.

The game ended with Houston trailing 21-17 after a suspension due to bad weather. Nonetheless, star quarterback CJ Stroud was a bundle of positive energy on the sidelines earlier in the game.

Stroud was seen celebrating vigorously in the second quarter when Cam Akers made a spectacular run against the Bears' defense, as shown on the NFL's X (formerly Twitter) page.

Although Stroud was not dressed for Thursday's game against the Bears, his intense sideline energy was as if he was playing.

Coming off an impressive 2023-24 season, the former rookie quarterback threw for 4,108 yards and 13 touchdowns, ranking eighth and 13th among quarterbacks, respectively. Additionally, Stroud's 57.5 QBR placed him 15th in the league, earning him the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.

Stroud's performance soared in the postseason. The Texans, finishing with a 10-7 record, secured an AFC Wild Card spot. Stroud led Houston to a dominant 44-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns in the first round.

Their season concluded with a 34-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens the following week, but they're channeling the end-of-season momentum into the 2024-25 campaign.

Aiming for a deeper playoff run this season, Houston has bolstered their team with strategic offseason acquisitions.

The Texans' trade for ex-Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon in March significantly strengthened their running game. Mixon, instrumental in the Bengals' SuperBowl run in 2022, had a career-high 1,205 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns that season. Last season, he followed up with 1,034 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in a career-high 17 games.

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