HOUSTON (AP) The Houston Texans have shaken off their awful start to the season with a six-game winning streak that has them in the thick of the AFC playoff race with three regular-season games left.

C.J. Stroud threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns and the Texans (9-5) jumped out to a big early lead and cruised to a 40-20 victory over the slumping Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

The winning streak is their longest since a nine-game run in 2018. They've rebounded from an 0-3 start and are one game behind the Jaguars (10-4) in the AFC South and currently in line for a wild-card playoff spot.

“We started off a little rough of course but you want to be playing your best ball in December going into January,” Stroud said. “Since we’re doing that it’s really good... every week we just keep progressing and I think that’s all we can do right now.”

Coach DeMeco Ryans, who constantly preaches a one-game-at-a-time mentality, insisted he didn't even realize the length of his team's winning streak until told by a reporter postgame.

“If you go out and handle business each week you’re just putting yourself in a better spot,” he said. “Not really focused on what everyone else in the AFC is doing. Focus on the Texans. Focus on stepping your game up and playing better.”

It’s the sixth straight loss for the Cardinals (3-11), whose last win came Nov. 3 against the Cowboys.

“We got beat by a good football team," coach Jonathan Gannon said. “We didn’t play well enough, and we’re going to go back to work.”

Houston got going immediately with its fastest score of the season when Stroud connected with Nico Collins on a 57-yard touchdown strike on the second play of the game. Collins took the short throw, escaped two diving defenders at around the 40 and ran untouched into the end zone for the score.

The Cardinals fumbled on the ensuing kickoff return and the Texans recovered. They couldn’t move the ball and settled for a 30-yard field goal that made it 10-0.

“You don’t get your first offensive snap until you’re down 10-0, it’s hard to start the game like that," Arizona tight end Trey McBride said. "But I’m proud of the way we fought. I thought we didn’t give up ... but we've just got to start the game faster. We can’t spot them 10 points like that.”

Woody Marks made it 17-0 when he scored on a 1-yard run after Stroud fumbled a snap later in the first quarter.

Arizona’s Michael Wilson had an 11-yard touchdown reception with about 11 minutes left but the 2-point conversion throw failed to leave Houston up 33-20.

The Texans padded the lead when Stroud found Collins again, this time on a 4-yard grab that made it 40-20. Collins had three receptions for 85 yards to give him 1,001 yards receiving for his third straight 1,000-yard season.

“That’s a big playmaker,” Ryans said. “He’s unstoppable.”

Jacoby Brissett threw for 249 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in his ninth start for the injured Kyler Murray.

McBride had 12 receptions for a career-high 134 yards with two touchdowns for the Cardinals. He has an NFL-leading 105 receptions to become the first tight end in NFL history with at least 100 receptions in consecutive seasons. He has 1,037 yards receiving this season for his second straight 1,000-yard season.

Kamari Lassiter intercepted Brissett's pass in the end zone on the opening drive of the second half. Lassiter downed the ball for a touchback before celebrating his career-high fourth interception of the season with a backflip.

The Texans cashed in on the error when Dalton Schultz grabbed a 4-yard TD pass that made it 30-7 with about 4 ½ minutes left in the third.

McBride’s second touchdown catch cut the lead to 30-14 near the end of the third quarter.

Kaʻimi Fairbairn’s 33-yard field goal pushed the lead to 33-14 early in the fourth.

The Cardinals had minus-7 yards of offense and were down by 17 when they got going late in the first quarter. They used a 13-play, 71-yard drive capped by a 2-yard reception by McBride to cut the lead to 17-7 early in the second.

A 55-yard field goal by Fairbairn extended the lead to 20-17 with about nine minutes left in the second. He added a 22-yard field goal with less than two minutes to go in the first half and had a 52-yard attempt blocked just before the break.

After Marks left with an ankle injury, Jawhar Jordan, who was elevated from the practice squad Saturday, took over and had 15 carries for 101 yards in his NFL debut.

Cardinals: WR Andre Baccellia was taken off the field on a stretcher with a neck injury after being hurt on a kickoff return in the second quarter. The Cardinals announced Baccellia was being taken to a hospital for further evaluation and will not return to the game. They added that Baccellia was alert and had full movement of all of his extremities…. RB Bam Knight left in the first quarter with an ankle injury. … LB Cody Simon injured his knee in the first quarter.

Texans: Marks injured his ankle in the first half and didn’t return. … DT Mario Edwards sustained a chest injury in the fourth quarter.

Cardinals: Host Atlanta next Sunday.

Texans: Host Las Vegas next Sunday.

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