At the start of Saturday’s wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers at NRG Stadium, even Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had to acknowledge that his performance was subpar.
As he took sacks against the Chargers’ tough defensive front, the Texans franchise quarterback appeared overwhelmed for the first few possessions, throwing high, low, and to the opposing team.
However, what seemed to be yet another of Stroud’s mistakes—a mishandled snap—turned out to be the game-winning move.
With 3:26 remaining in the second quarter, Stroud caught that fumble while scurrying to his right and hit receiver Xavier Hutchinson for a 27-yard pass play.
With just over a minute remaining in the first half, Nico Collins caught a 13-yard touchdown pass after the play, which served as the catalyst for a 13-play, 99-yard drive that lasted 5:17.
The Texans didn’t always play their best, and it was the game-changing moment. Stroud and the Texans, however, prevailed in a thrilling 32–12 victory that advanced them to the divisional playoff round. Next week, they will travel to play the AFC top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs.
Stroud’s fumble recovery and ball completion, as well as the 27-yard scramble, gave the sometimes criticized quarterback and the entire Texans squad new life as they fought past the Chargers, despite the defense’s strong performance against their potent offense. In the last 1:02 minutes of the first half, the Texans turned a six-point deficit into a 10-6 lead thanks to those two plays, and they never looked back.
There’s nothing like that, Stroud told the Defender, “when you have leaders and everyone is rooting for you.” Joe (Mixon) was turned and DeMeco (Ryans) was going crazy when I looked to the sideline after that play. We had a crowd of ten. I heard them go crazy after that play, which gave me energy and motivated me to keep going.
After the Texans and Stroud lost three of their last six regular-season games, that undoubtedly helped to alleviate some of their aggravation and sadness in the latter part of the season. Much of the criticism had been directed toward Stroud, who was playing behind a struggling offensive line and lost two of his top three receivers to season-ending injuries.
The Texans, who won the AFC South and advanced to the AFC playoffs in Year 2 of Stroud and Ryans, were really the underdogs coming into Saturday’s home playoff game after a 6-2 start and a 4-5 record in their previous nine games.
However, as the team, on both sides of the field, came together in support of Stroud late in the first half on Saturday, all of his difficulties and frustrations appeared to vanish. Although it wasn’t a flawless performance, Stroud used his arms and legs to make important plays.
It gave everyone a sense of exhilaration and confidence. At the end of the first half, Ryans told the Defender how important Stroud’s big plays were. Because of the recent events on crucial drives, it is what we required. Things weren’t going well.
Everyone seemed to say, “We’re ready to go now,” when he made that play. We finished in an offensive manner, which is more important than how you began.
Nevertheless, the defense deserves a lot of the credit for the victory because they hounded Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert throughout the day and left the rushing assault with nowhere to go. The Texans secondary picked off Herbert four times, while the defensive front sacked him four more times. During the regular season, Herbert had only thrown three interceptions.
The Texans led 20-6 late in the third quarter after Eric Murry made a 38-yard pick-six off Herbert, cornerback Derek Stingley picked him off twice, and Kamari Lassiter had another.
According to Ryans, that is the complementing football that our squad has been in need of and searching for. Excellent performance in each of the three stages. Extremely pleased with all of our men. Every member of every position group stepped up and made a play when it was necessary. We won this game because our greatest players came forward and produced clutch plays.
Herbert hit Ladd McConkey for an 86-yard touchdown bomb early in the fourth quarter, but the Chargers didn’t score another point until their opening drives of the game, when they scored six points on two field goals. But even it didn’t help the Chargers, as the Texans maintained a 25–12 lead after the extra point was blocked and D. Angelo Ross grabbed it and returned it for a two-point conversation.
“I don’t have to challenge those guys at all, which is what makes our defense and team unique,” Ryans stated. They are aware of the situation. They comprehend why we were constructed in the manner that we were. To dominate, our D-line must perform. Not only does our defense benefit when our D-line plays this way, but it also infuses our team with energy.
The offense produced some astounding figures, despite the defense’s outstanding effort and the attack’s occasionally patchy performance. The offense won the time of possession battle 34:25 to 25:35 and amassed 429 yards of offense. Nico Collins recorded seven receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown, setting a team-playoff receiving record. With his time-consuming runs in the fourth quarter, Mixon, who finished with a crucial 106 rushing yards and a touchdown, kept the Chargers offense off the field.
Houston is once again believing as a result of a collective effort, and the Texans are headed to the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive postseason.
According to Stroud, everything is truly coming together at the ideal moment. I’m genuinely in awe of the atmosphere there and feel like this is only the beginning. I firmly think that we are only beginning, and I hope that we can keep this momentum going.
