HOUSTON – With star receiver Nico Collins out Sunday against San Francisco, the Houston Texans needed someone to step up to make up for his absence.

Turns out a lot of different players helped do that.

C.J. Stroud threw for a season-high 318 yards with two touchdowns and the Texans got off to a quick start and held on for a 26-15 victory.

Stroud did a great job of distributing the ball, completing passes to nine different players with Collins out after sustaining a concussion Monday night. Xavier Hutchinson led the group with a career-high 69 yards receiving and a score and rookie Jaylin Noel added 63 to help the Texans (3-4) bounce back after a loss to Seattle.

“We’ve got a lot of players who want the ball and can do something with the ball,” Hutchinson said. “I felt like that was a g

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