NASHVILLE (Interstat) — C.J. Stroud threw for 261 yards and accounted for two touchdowns, and the Houston Texans defeated the Tennessee Titans 26-3 on Sunday at Nissan Stadium. Houston earned its first win of the season and improved to 1-4. Tennessee dropped to 0-5. The announced attendance was 52,097. The Texans led 3-3 after the first quarter and 12-3 at halftime before putting the game away with touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters. Tennessee opened the scoring with Joey Slye’s 30-yard field goal. Houston answered with Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 45-yard field goal after Woody Marks had a 24-yard touchdown run nullified by a holding penalty. Fairbairn added field goals of 35, 26 and 53 yards in the second quarter. Stroud scored on a 2-yard run in the third quarter, and he connected with Jaylin Noel on a 9-yard touchdown pass in the fourth. Fairbairn made both extra points. The Titans managed only three points despite moving the ball at times. Slye’s field goal came with 10:39 remaining in the opening quarter. Fairbairn’s 45-yard kick tied the game with 2:22 left in the first. The Texans then took control in the second quarter.

Stroud, listed at 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds, completed 26 of 34 passes for 261 yards with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown. He also ran six times for 5 yards. The Houston quarterback from Inland Empire, California, directed an offense that leaned on Woody Marks, who carried 15 times for 62 yards and caught four passes for 23 yards. David Montgomery added five carries for 11 yards. Xavier Hutchinson led the Texans with 65 yards on four receptions. Nico Collins caught five passes for 56 yards, while Jaylin Noel finished with five receptions for 41 yards, one carry for 1 yard, one kickoff return for 22 yards, two punt returns for 21 yards and one touchdown. Kayshon Boutte had three receptions for 38 yards. Dalton Schultz caught three passes for 30 yards, and Foster Moreau had two receptions for 8 yards. Houston completed passes to multiple receivers and finished with 261 passing yards.

Tennessee’s offense struggled to finish drives. Cam Ward, a 6-foot-2, 219-pound quarterback, completed 23 of 36 passes for 170 yards and ran once for 2 yards. Tony Pollard led the Titans’ rushing attack with 14 carries for 52 yards. Kalel Mullings added one carry for 3 yards. Tyjae Spears caught nine passes for 28 yards out of the backfield. Wan’Dale Robinson had six receptions for 53 yards. Calvin Ridley caught two passes for 33 yards. Chimere Dike finished with three receptions for 28 yards and six kickoff returns for 147 yards. Elic Ayomanor had one reception for 17 yards and one tackle. Carnell Tate caught one pass for 6 yards. Daniel Bellinger had one reception for 5 yards. Kylen Granson and Gunnar Helm each recorded one tackle. Slye made his only field-goal attempt, a 30-yarder. Tommy Townsend punted four times for 188 yards. The Titans could not convert their possessions into touchdowns. Spears’ nine catches were a team high, while Robinson’s 53 yards led the Titans’ receiving corps.

Houston’s defense kept Tennessee out of the end zone. Azeez Al-Shaair recorded 11 tackles. Will Anderson Jr. had four tackles and three sacks. Reed Blankenship and Tommy Togiai each made eight tackles. Jake Hansen had five tackles and one interception. Sheldon Rankins added four tackles, and Kamari Lassiter had four tackles. Jalen Pitre finished with three tackles. The Texans pressured Ward throughout and did not allow a touchdown. Al-Shaair’s 11 tackles led all defenders. Anderson’s three sacks were a game high. Tennessee’s defense was led by Tony Adams with nine tackles. Terrell Burgess had eight tackles. Cedric Gray made six tackles and half a sack. Cody Barton also had six tackles. Anthony Hill Jr. had five tackles. Jeffery Simmons, Alontae Taylor, Isaiah Oliver and Micah Robinson each had four tackles. Jordan Elliott, Cor’Dale Flott and Solomon Thomas each made three tackles. John Franklin-Myers had two tackles and half a sack. Jermaine Johnson II had two tackles. Jacob Martin had one tackle and one sack. Truman Jones, Nazir Stackhouse, Marcus Harris and Keldric Faulk each had one tackle. Tennessee trailed 12-3 at halftime and allowed touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters.

Houston’s victory ended a frustrating start to the season. The Texans had lost their first four games, including a four-point defeat to Dallas, a two-point loss at Indianapolis, a 14-point home loss to Cincinnati and a five-point home loss to Buffalo. Tennessee remained without a win after five games. The Titans had fallen at Baltimore, at the New York Giants and at home to Philadelphia and the New York Jets. Houston’s first win of the season came after four straight losses. Tennessee’s fifth loss kept the Titans searching for their first victory. Houston’s special teams also contributed, with Fairbairn connecting on four field goals and Noel providing positive field position in the return game. The Texans’ defense closed out the game without allowing a late score.

Houston finished with 26 points and Tennessee finished with 3. Fairbairn made three field goals in the second quarter, pushing Houston’s lead to 12-3. Stroud’s 2-yard scoring run in the third made it 19-3, and his 9-yard toss to Noel in the fourth completed the scoring. The Texans scored on four field goals and two touchdowns. Tennessee scored on one field goal. The Titans’ best early drive ended with Slye’s field goal, and their offense never reached the end zone. Houston’s defense recorded three sacks from Will Anderson Jr. and one from Jacob Martin, plus half-sacks from Cedric Gray and John Franklin-Myers.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Houston 31, Tennessee 27. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Houston with an 86.5 percent probability to win. Tennessee had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 7. The total score of 29 went over the over/under line of 38.5.