C.J. Stroud admitted “it felt like old times” after lining up alongside old Ohio State teammate Marvin Harrison Jr. for the Houston Texans.

Harrison Jr., 24, joined the Texans in a blockbuster trade from the Arizona Cardinals earlier this month. The receiver played two full seasons following his 2024 fourth-overall selection from the Buckeyes.

However, just five games into his third season in the NFL, the Cardinals decided to trade Harrison Jr. to the Texans for 2027 NFL Draft picks, including a second-rounder. The move reunited Harrison Jr. with one of his former OSU teammates, Stroud, who last played with him in the 2022/23 college football season before the quarterback was taken second overall by the Texans.

Ahead of kick-off, questions were raised over how the Texans will deploy Harrison Jr. The 6'3" catcher struggled when running outside routes for the Cardinals.

And so, the Texans sought to do the opposite, with all three of Harrison Jr.’s completions in the 34-31 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars inside London’s Wembley Stadium on Sunday coming from in-breaking routes.

Harrison Jr. proved to be a reliable target for Stroud when the Texans needed to move the chains deeper into Jags territory.

After the game, Stroud issued a typical response when asked about playing alongside his friend again.

Stroud 'proud' of Harrison Jr

“It felt like old times,” Stroud said in his post-game press conference. “I’m proud of him.

"I’m happy for him. I might’ve missed him on a touchdown on a fake screen. But I felt like other than that, we connected on three passes, I believe.”

“I thought he looked great. Looked like he was excited to be out there. We’ll get him more touches and plays here in the season,” Stroud added.

The win over the Jags cut their deficit in half after four consecutive defeats at the start of the 2026 campaign. They’re now running on a two-game win streak following last week’s blowout victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Texans bouncing back

The Texans play the New York Giants next week at NRG Stadium, followed by a Week 8 bye, before playing a struggling Los Angeles Chargers team in early November.

By mid-November, the Texans could have changed the trajectory of their season, and the playoffs could be back in their sights.

The last team to reach the playoffs following a 0-3 start, or worse, was the Texans last season.

So, they’re in familiar waters, leaving Stroud and Co. needing to execute to put together another historic comeback.