The Packers defense smothers Texas QB CJ Stroud with a dominant performance

The Green Bay Packers held Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud to career lows in completions, pass yards and net pass yards with a stunning performance at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

Stroud, the NFL's 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year, completed 10 of 21 passes for 86 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. He averaged 4.1 yards per attempt, lost 31 yards on four sacks and finished with a passer rating of 58.8.

Pressure was key. According to Next Gen Stats, Stroud was pressured on 48.5 percent of his dropbacks, a new career high. He only completed three passes under pressure.

“The defense played phenomenal,” quarterback Jordan Love said.

Coach Matt LaFleur said the Packers never made Stroud comfortable.

“We put a ton of pressure on him,” LaFleur said.

Stroud completed just one pass for 20 yards – a 28-yard completion to Dalton Schultz. When attacking receivers Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell, Stroud was 5 of 11 for 23 yards. The Texans finished the game with just six pass first downs.

The Packers defense allowed 22 points, but the number is misleading. Of the 22 points, 16 came directly from turnovers, including 10 points from turnovers that gave the Texans the ball inside the 20-yard line.

On the nine drives that began without a turnover, the Texans scored just six points and struck out six times.

Sunday was Stroud's 22nd NFL start. Only once before – last December against the New York Jets – had he finished a game with fewer than 100 passing yards and a passer rating below 60.0.

The Packers finished the game with seven quarterback hits and four sacks. Of the four sacks, three came from blitzes. Xavier McKinney's first-half sack took the Texans out of field goal range and forced a punt. Eric Wilson's sack ended the Texans' first drive of the second half after three plays. Wilson capped another second-half drive with a sack on third down near midfield.

The Texans were without top receiver Nico Collins and veteran Robert Woods, but it's still hard to downplay how well the Packers controlled a top young quarterback in a big game.

The path to the Super Bowl is littered with elite quarterbacks. On a day when the Packers didn't record a takeaway, a powerful defensive performance and a suffocating coverage performance on the back end ensured a dominant result from Jeff Hafley's defense against a top passer.