HOUSTON -- C.J. Stroud found Nico Collins for a touchdown pass on his second drive Saturday in Houston's preseason win over the Carolina Panthers.
But he was unhappy with himself because he overthrew him on a deep ball on the Texans' first drive, which was his preseason debut.
"He's one of a kind, man," Stroud said. "He's a unicorn, fast, strong ... route-running, release at line of scrimmage -- he has it all. So it's my job to connect with him and I owe him one from today."
Despite that misfire the Texans (1-1) still came away with a 20-3 win.
Stroud, who sat out in last week's 20-10 loss at Minnesota, played two series Saturday, going 6 for 8 for 44 yards. The Texans punted on their first possession before Stroud found Collins on the 5-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to cap the second drive and make it 7-0.
Collins is coming off consecutive 1,000-yard seasons after he led the Texans with 68 receptions for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing five games with an injury.
Nick Chubb ran five times for 25 yards in his Texans' debut after spending his first seven seasons in Cleveland. Chubb played with the starters with Joe Mixon out recovering from a foot injury he sustained this offseason.
Stroud, who has led the Texans to the postseason in both of his first two seasons, has a new offensive coordinator this year in Nick Caley after the former Patriots and Rams assistant was hired this offseason following the firing of Bobby Slowik.
"It was great, he's still learning a lot," Stroud said. "First time play caller, he handled it great. He's very communicative. He loves to wire guys up and bring juice and I think it's a great thing for offense and I'm excited to work with him."
Carolina's Bryce Young, the first overall pick in the 2023 draft when Stroud was taken second, failed to move the offense in two drives. He was 0 for 2 and was sacked once Saturday after directing the offense for two drives with a TD pass in last week's 30-10 loss to Cleveland.
"Obviously, for us 1's you want a different result," Young said. "It (stinks), but that's preseason football. You kind of get that sample size. Obviously, you want to go well early, get it done fast. We didn't get it done today. Of course, we will go watch film tomorrow and go from that."
Young won't get any more work this preseason with Coach Dave Canales saying he wouldn't play his starters in the final preseason game next week for the Panthers (0-2).
Andy Dalton replaced Young and was 2 of 4 for 22 yards before leaving with what Canales said was a right elbow sprain. Canales said they'd know more about the injury after further testing Sunday.
Canales wasn't too worried about Saturday's results, but talked to his team about being better.
"A lot of good work out there," he said. "To me, to sum it up, it was a day of almosts. I just kind of challenged the group like: 'Are we going to be almost good? Are we going to make the plays when they're there to be made?'"
Rookie Ryan Fitzgerald's 52-yard field goal cut the lead to 7-3 about two minutes before halftime.
Ka'imi Fairbairn made a 41-yard field goal just before halftime and added a 35-yard kick early in the third quarter to push the lead to 13-3.
The Texans intercepted third-string quarterback Jack Plummer on consecutive drives in the second half. Damon Arnette grabbed the second one and three plays later the Texans made it 20-3 when British Brooks scored on a 1-yard run.
Arnette, a first-round pick in 2020, is attempting a comeback after his career was derailed by legal troubles and he played just 13 games over two seasons before being released by the Raiders. He last played for the UFL's Houston Roughnecks.
PATRIOTS 20, VIKINGS 12
MINNEAPOLIS -- New England rookies TreVeyon Henderson and Efton Chism III each had another preseason touchdown, and the Patriots (2-0) beat the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday.
Henderson, the second-round draft pick from national champion Ohio State who's been turning heads in training camp and tracking toward a prominent role in the backfield, rushed for 20 yards with an 8-yard score on four carries during a two-drive stint for the first-team offense. Henderson had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last week.
Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel held a handful of projected starters out, including four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who's returning from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered halfway through his lone season with the Houston Texans.
Second-year quarterback Drake Maye started against an all-backups Vikings defense and went 4 for 7 for 46 yards with a delay-of-game penalty and an overthrow that was nearly intercepted but dropped by Tavierre Thomas.
Chism made another compelling case for a regular-season roster spot with six receptions from backup QB Joshua Dobbs for 71 yards and a score. He caught a short throw on third-and-9 from the 12 and broke six tackle attempts as he twisted and muscled his way into the end zone.
DOLPHINS 24, LIONS 17
DETROIT -- Backup quarterback Zach Wilson had a strong first half for the Dolphins and third-stringer Quinn Ewers threw for two second-half touchdowns as Miami beat Detroit.
The teams had a pair of joint practices earlier in the week. Both teams' starters participated in those workouts, but Saturday's game was all about the reserves who are trying to earn roster spots.
Wilson, the Dolphins' No. 2 QB behind Tua Tagovailoa, completed 15 of 23 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. Ewers went 11 of 17 for 116 yards.
McDaniel wasn't about to declare either quarterback the winner on the day.
The Lions (1-2) also took a long look at their second- and third-string quarterbacks with Jared Goff on the sideline. Kyle Allen impressed in the first half, going 14 of 17 for 124 yards and two scores.
Hendon Hooker struggled in the final two quarters, completing 6 of 13 throws for 61 yards and an interception.
49ERS 22, RAIDERS 19
LAS VEGAS -- Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty proved he could deliver hits and absorb them at the NFL level, rushing for a bruising 33 yards and a touchdown on seven carries in Las Vegas' preseason loss to San Francisco.
Jake Moody made a 59-yard field goal as time expired for the 49ers (1-1). He also converted a 44-yarder with 37 seconds remaining to tie the game, and then Jaylen Mahoney intercepted Raiders quarterback Cam Miller to set up the winner.
Moody made 5 of 6 field goals while Daniel Carlson made all four of his tries for the Raiders (0-1-1).
Brock Purdy played the first series for the 49ers, which ended in a field goal. He was 5 of 7 for 66 yards. Backup Mac Jones completed 13 of 16 passes for 135 yards with an interception, and former Raider Carter Bradley led the tying and winning drives and finished 8 of 13 for 96 yards.
Geno Smith completed 6 of 8 passes for 55 yards as the Raiders' first-team offense played the first two series. The Raiders scored 10 points on those drives. Aidan O'Connell guided the team into the fourth quarter, finishing 15 of 23 for 138 yards with an interception.
RAVENS 31, COWBOYS 13
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Cooper Rush threw a touchdown pass and a pick-6 in his return to AT&T Stadium, and rookie Tyler Loop kicked five field goals as Baltimore beat Dallas.
D'Ernest Johnson ran for a 2-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for the Ravens (2-0).
Loop -- the likely replacement for Justin Tucker, who was released in the offseason after he was accused of inappropriate behavior by massage therapists -- connected from 53, 52, 42, 36 and 29 yards while missing from 50.
Cornerback Andrew Booth picked off Rush and returned it 40 yards for a TD, and Brandon Aubrey kicked field goals of 47 and 36 yards for the Cowboys (0-2).
Rush, who spent the previous seven seasons as Dak Prescott's Dallas backup before signing as a free agent with Baltimore, flipped a 1-yard TD pass while backpedaling to Keith Kirkwood on a fourth-down play early in the second quarter. Rush played the first half, going 20 of 30 for 198 yards with two interceptions.
Rush's first pick was a throw behind receiver LaJohntay Wester. Booth grabbed it and raced down the left sideline, avoiding tacklers during the final 10 yards.
Joe Milton, looking to assume Rush's role with the Cowboys this season, was 9 of 18 for 122 yards and one interception while playing 3 1/2 quarters. He connected with Jonathan Mingo for 49 yards to set up Aubrey's first field goal.
RAMS 23, CHARGERS 22
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Stetson Bennett rebounded from throwing a fourth-quarter interception to 305-pound defensive tackle TeRah Edwards, hitting Tru Edwards with an 8-yard touchdown pass with 5 seconds left while leading the Los Angeles Rams to a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Bennett passed for 324 yards and three scores in his second consecutive sharp preseason performance -- even if he failed to anticipate the ball-hawking skill and silky lateral movement of the hulking Edwards, who never had an interception in five seasons split between Northwestern and Illinois.
The rookie picked off Bennett's throw, thundered downfield and even threw a head fake before plowing over Bennett and finally tripping at midfield to end his 29-yard return with 6:35 to play, setting off an unsurprisingly unhinged celebration on the Bolts' sideline.
But Bennett shook it off with the poise of a two-time national champion and drove the Rams (2-0) downfield in the final seconds. Brennan Presley made an acrobatic 40-yard catch between two defenders with 11 seconds to play, setting up Edwards' winning catch on the next play.
Justin Herbert went 2 of 5 for 46 yards while playing the opening series in his first-ever preseason game for the Chargers (2-1), who were the visiting team at the clubs' shared stadium.
Luke Grimm returned a punt 66 yards for the Bolts' go-ahead touchdown with 12:36 left.
Trey Lance passed for 121 yards, and second-round pick Tre Harris had six catches for 85 yards.
BUCCANEERS 17, STEELERS 14
PITTSBURGH -- Newly signed veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw a pair of first-quarter touchdowns, and Tampa Bay topped Pittsburgh.
Chase McLaughlin hit a 42-yard field goal as time expired to win it for the Buccaneers (2-0). Tampa Bay linebacker Antonio Grier's 36-yard interception return set up the kick.
Bridgewater, who joined the Buccaneers last week after being suspended from his high school coaching job in Miami for self-reporting that he provided financial benefits to his players, was sharp in his three series of work.
The 10-year veteran completed 6 of 11 passes for 85 yards and two scores. He found running back Bucky Irving for a 15-yard touchdown and later delivered a pretty 5-yard lob to the back corner of the end zone that rookie first-round pick Emeka Egbuka pulled in with a sliding grab from his knees.
Mason Rudolph, making his second consecutive preseason start while Aaron Rodgers watched from the sideline, threw a 2-yard score to Brandon Johnson but also threw a pick that set up Tampa Bay's first score.
GIANTS 31, JETS 12
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Getting snaps with the first-team offense, then throwing for a touchdown and running for another with the backups, Jaxson Dart shined in his new home stadium debut for the New York Giants as part of a victory against the Jets in each team's second preseason game.
The rookie first-round pick whom the Giants envision as their long-term franchise quarterback got a chance to show a little bit of how he could contribute in the near future by subbing in for starter Russell Wilson mid-drive and connecting with Theo Johnson on a 30-yard pass. Dart capped a 71-yard second half-opening drive with a TD throw to Greg Dulcich and scored on a goal-line sneak to finish another after completing 13 consecutive passes.
Dart was 14 of 16 for 137 yards, delivering on the hype under the lights at MetLife Stadium before giving way to Jameis Winston.
Wilson had his own highlight, throwing his so-called "moon ball" to undrafted free agent Beaux Collins for an 80-yard gain. The 36-year-old had another intercepted because of a miscommunication with Collins, his final throw of a 4 of 7, 108-yard performance.
While the Giants (2-0) got clicking, questions remain on offense for Justin Fields and the Jets (1-1). He left after two run-heavy series 1 of 5 for 4 yards, with Nick Folk's 38-yard field goal the only points the starters got on the board.
That performance came after Fields, signed to a two-year, $40 million deal to replace Aaron Rodgers, was 3 of 4 for 42 yards and a 13-yard TD run in the exhibition opener at Green Bay last Saturday.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is tackled by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is tackled by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is tackled by Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is tackled by Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud passes against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud passes against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Houston Texans running back Nick Chubb runs against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Houston Texans running back Nick Chubb runs against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)