C.J. Stroud's TD pass helps Texans defeat Panthers 20-3 in preseason

HOUSTON (AP) — C.J. Stroud found Nico Collins for a touchdown pass on his second drive Saturday in Houston's preseason win over the Carolina Panthers.

But he was unhappy with himself because he overthrew him on a deep ball on the Texans' first drive, which was his preseason debut.

“He’s one of a kind, man,” Stroud said. “He’s a unicorn, fast, strong ... route-running, release at line of scrimmage — he has it all. So it’s my job to connect with him and I owe him one from today.”

Despite that misfire the Texans (1-1) still came away with a 20-3 win.

Stroud, who sat out in last week’s 20-10 loss at Minnesota, played two series Saturday, going 6 for 8 for 44 yards. The Texans punted on their first possession before Stroud found Collins on the 5-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to cap the second drive and make it 7-0.

Collins is coming off consecutive 1,000-yard seasons after he led the Texans with 68 receptions for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing five games with an injury.

Nick Chubb ran five times for 25 yards in his Texans’ debut after spending his first seven seasons in Cleveland. Chubb played with the starters with Joe Mixon out recovering from a foot injury he sustained this offseason.

Stroud, who has led the Texans to the postseason in both of his first two seasons, has a new offensive coordinator this year in Nick Caley after the former Patriots and Rams assistant was hired this offseason following the firing of Bobby Slowik.

“It was great, he’s still learning a lot,” Stroud said. “First time play caller, he handled it great. He’s very communicative. He loves to wire guys up and bring juice and I think it’s a great thing for offense and I’m excited to work with him.”

Carolina’s Bryce Young, the first overall pick in the 2023 draft when Stroud was taken second, failed to move the offense in two drives. He was 0 for 2 and was sacked once Saturday after directing the offense for two drives with a TD pass in last week’s 30-10 loss to Cleveland.

“Obviously, for us 1's you want a different result,” Young said. “It (stinks), but that’s preseason football. You kind of get that sample size. Obviously, you want to go well early, get it done fast. We didn’t get it done today. Of course, we will go watch film tomorrow and go from that.”

Young won't get any more work this preseason with coach Dave Canales saying he wouldn't play his starters in the final preseason game next week for the Panthers (0-2).

Andy Dalton replaced Young and was 2 of 4 for 22 yards before leaving with what Canales said was a right elbow sprain. Canales said they'd know more about the injury after further testing Sunday.

Canales wasn't too worried about Saturday's results, but talked to his team about being better.

“A lot of good work out there,” he said. “To me, to sum it up, it was a day of almosts. I just kind of challenged the group like: ‘Are we going to be almost good? Are we going to make the plays when they’re there to be made?’”

Rookie Ryan Fitzgerald’s 52-yard field goal cut the lead to 7-3 about two minutes before halftime.

Ka’imi Fairbairn made a 41-yard field goal just before halftime and added a 35-yard kick early in the third quarter to push the lead to 13-3.

The Texans intercepted third-string quarterback Jack Plummer on consecutive drives in the second half. Damon Arnette grabbed the second one and three plays later the Texans made it 20-3 when British Brooks scored on a 1-yard run.

Arnette, a first-round pick in 2020, is attempting a comeback after his career was derailed by legal troubles and he played just 13 games over two seasons before being released by the Raiders. He hasn’t appeared in a regular-season NFL game since 2021 and last played for the UFL’s Houston Roughnecks.

Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn didn’t play because of a thumb injury and left guard Damien Lewis also sat out because of a shoulder injury.

Panthers: Wrap up the preseason Thursday night when they host Pittsburgh.

Texans: End their preseason Saturday at Detroit.

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Houston Texans running back Nick Chubb runs against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is tackled by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins celebrates after scoring with quarterback C.J. Stroud against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is tackled by Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud passes against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL preseason football game on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media that the U.S. Coast Guard had boarded the Motor Tanker Veronica early Thursday. She said the ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”

U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized “without incident.”

Noem posted a brief video that appeared to show part of the ship’s capture. The black-and-white footage showed helicopters hovering over the deck of a merchant vessel while armed troops dropped down on the deck by rope.

The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.

The Veronica last transmitted its location on Jan. 3 as being at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, it was partially filled with crude.

The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.

According to its registration data, the ship also has been known as the Galileo, owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for moving cargoes of illicit Russian oil.

As with prior posts about such raids, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”

However, other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear that they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.

Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.

This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro's capture.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)