Fields' words filled C.J. Stroud with pride. The Houston Texans quarterback said he heard what his college teammate had to say and couldn't have been more pleased with his message. "I'm just so proud of my brother, his growth with that and just his vulnerability," Stroud said. "It's hard."

Without Nico Collins or Christian Kirk in the lineup, quarterback C.J. Stroud logged a completion to nine different pass-catchers on the day for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. It came out to be one of his and the offense's best performances of the season so far, and of course, led to a winning effort.

After the Texans beat the 49ers, DeMeco Ryans would shout out quarterback C.J. Stroud, citing one of his best games ever.

“Played amazing, man,” said wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson, who caught five passes for 69 yards and one touchdown on a well-timed, 30-yard pass in the third quarter that boosted the Texans’ lead to 23-7. “That’s what 7 is like. You can say whatever you want about C.J., but when you need him the most, man, he’s gonna show up.

Instead of having to settle for another field goal, C.J, Stroud and Xavier Hutchinson hooked up to put the 49ers in a deeper hole.

Kickoff from NRG Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET, and the Texans are 2.5-point favorites, according to the latest 49ers vs. Texans odds. The over/under for total points scored is 42. The Texans are -151 money line favorites (risk $151 to win $100),

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud rips a 44-yard deep crossing-route pass to wide receiver Jaylin Noel against the San Francisco 49ers.

For the season, Stroud has a 55.4 " Total QBR " rating from ESPN, which ranks 18th out of 32 starting QBs entering Week 7. His passer rating of 91.1 ranks 17th, which is higher than that of notable players like the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, the Philadelphia Eagles ' Jalen Hurts, and the Chicago Bears ' Caleb Williams.