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.

H OUSTON -- According to C.J. Stroud, he's one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL when he's dealing. And against the San Francisco 49ers, Stroud delivered what coach DeMeco Ryans called one of Stroud's "best games ever" in the Houston Texans ' 26-15 win Sunday.

C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are on the right side of a critical update before facing the Denver Broncos.

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.