HOUSTON – An incredible display of broken-play brilliance from Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud transformed an AFC wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday after a rough start.
Stroud, a former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, sparked the Texans on a busted play as he was studying the defense and took his eye off the football on the snap from center Jarrett Patterson that sailed through his hands, picking up the loose football off the hop and scrambling to the right sideline to complete an inexplicable 34-yard pass to wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson in the second quarter.
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That set the stage for the Texans taking the lead and grabbing the momentum. Stroud, intercepted earlier in the game and plagued by a lost fumble by wide receiver John Metchie III on the first play from scrimmage, was off to a cold start before this bizarre turn of events. The Texans were down 6-0 late in the first half and were on a 3rd-and-16 situation at their 13-yard line.
After the lob to Hutchinson, Stroud heated up as he marched the Texans on a 13-play, 99-yard drive that included a 37-yard pass to wide receiver Nico Collins, who wasn’t targeted at all in the first quarter. Then, Stroud connected with Collins for a 13-yard red-zone touchdown pass to take the lead and never relinquished it as he marched the Texans 99 yards on 13 plays for the score.
“(Texans offensive coordinator) Bobby (Slowik) was saying all week we need a spark,” Texans Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil told KPRC 2. “Seven provided that spark for us.”
That play, and Stroud’s 27-yard scramble, and touchdown pass to Collins sparked the Texans in a 32-12 playoff game victory at NRG Stadium.
“Even after I made the play, I was kind of mad at myself,” Stroud said. “I didn’t look at the snap, so it just went straight through my hands. I’m looking and trying to see the defense and went through my hands. Luckily, bounced right back up to me. I tried to just save the play. Hutch did a good job trusting me and I trust him, so he kept on the move.
“After we made the completion, I looked at the sideline and everybody was turned up, and that turned me up, because I was still kind of mad at myself. Those are the type of plays that change momentum, and a team can rally around plays like that. Shoutout to Hutch for making a great instinctual play and I just tried my best to save the play.”
A fumble by wide receiver John Metchie III on the first play from scrimmage was followed by a punt, a punt, a Stroud pass intercepted by Deane Leonard and yet another Tommy Townsend punt.
“The spark was C.J.,” Texans Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon said.
From the touchdown onward, the offense found new life as Stroud finished the game 22 of 33 for 282 yards and one touchdown for a 90.7 passer rating. Keyed by four interceptions from the defense and running back Joe Mixon pounding the Chargers for 106 yards and one touchdown, the Texans took control after Stroud’s big plays.
This marked one of Stroud’s top performances after an up-and-down regular season.
The slow start became a memory because of Stroud’s poise.
“That’s what it looks like when your best players step up and make the plays,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “That’s what playoff football is about. That’s what being a big-time player in the league is about. Of course, you see the fumble snap and I’m just thinking, ‘Please pick the ball up.’
“And then we were able to see CJ improvise and see Hutch keeping his eyes downfield. Having that confidence in himself and ability to avoid the rush and still keep his eyes downfield and find Hutch, that was an outstanding play. To me that was the play of the game that really created momentum for our entire team.”
Between safety Eric Murray’s pick-six touchdown as he intercepted Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who was picked off twice by All-Pro corner Derek Stingley Jr., and the offense doing its part, the game became a rout as the underdog Texans advanced to the AFC divisional round.
As Stroud alertly picked up the football, Hutchinson had no idea what was going on in the backfield.
“To be honest with you, I didn’t even know that the whole snap thing had happened,” Hutchinson said. “I just thought I was wide open, you know? He was just scrambling to the right, but I mean that’s 7 that’s seven, that’s the type of plays he makes. I just wanted to make the play for the team. I got a jump start, I guess you could say. That’s what I’m here to do. I’m here to make plays. I feel like that changed the game.
“When you got a dude like 7 back there who can just, you know, take over the whole game, you just got the utmost confidence in him. Naturally, we always believe offensively. It’s only a matter of time.”
Stroud threw 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions during the regular season as the former second overall pick and two-time Heisman Trophy finalist from Ohio State faced difficulties in his second NFL season after being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in his first season in Houston.
Stroud led the NFL in passing yards per contest and touchdown to interception ratio as a rookie, passing for over 4,000 yards with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions to join Tom Brady and Joe Montana as the only players in league history to finish atop those categories in the same season.
This season, Stroud has dealt with pass protection breakdowns and defenses adjusting to his style of play. He’s battled through the low points of the season, though, during a trying season.
“I would say just all the adversity this year has made me not only a better football player, but better human, better man of God,” Stroud said. “I don’t take it lightly. People always see our mountaintops, but one thing that people don’t understand there are valleys, too, times just going through it. In my life, I’m very grateful for both. I haven’t always been that way, but my character is being built as I continue to play this great game
“I’m really blessed to have the teammates I have. As I’m playing more, everybody is coming to me and telling me how much they trust me, and they think I’m the best in the league. When you hear that, guys in NFL don’t say that lightly. When the other side of the ball is really good like you say and they’re giving you your props, it’s motivational to keep going. Even when it’s not perfect, because life isn’t perfect for anybody, we’re all going through things.”
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— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 11, 2025
Here's #Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud turning a potential disaster into an incredible play @KPRC2
In a first half defined by defense as the Texans’ drives went like this -- fumble, punt, punt, interception and punt -- before the score, the Texans took a 7-6 lead and extended it by three points on a 41-yard field goal by kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn before halftime to own a 10-6 lead.
That score was keyed by Stroud showing off an underrated aspect of his game: his mobility.
Stroud took off up the middle, stepping up in the pocket for a 37-yard run after being sacked twice in the first half. That set the table for a Fairbairn field goal.
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— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 11, 2025
Big-time scramble by #Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, heating up after a tough start @KPRC2
By the third quarter, Stroud was up to 16 of 25 passing for 225 yards, one touchdown and one interception for a 90.1 passer rating after an ice-cold start.
“C.J., just want to make sure he gets the love that he deserves,” Ryans said. “Like the play that he made on the fumble snap and throw to Hutch, that’s the play that sparked not our offense, but our entire team. Seeing the way all our guys responded after he made the play. Then to come back with another big scramble on the next drive, just outstanding performance by C.J.
“The scramble play, you see that confidence from C.J. You see he felt the need to make a play and he did. That’s what you call it when you put the team on your back. That’s what he did. Put the team on his back. To see our sideline go crazy when he makes that scramble, you can feel it then. You can feel the game shifting at that moment when he makes that scramble for the big play.”
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— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 11, 2025
Here's #Texans wide receiver Nico Collins' touchdown @KPRC2
Now, the Texans advance to the AFC divisional round. They’ll either play the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs, second-seeded Buffalo Bills or the third-seeded Baltimore Ravens.
If the Bills beat the Denver Broncos on Sunday, the Texans face the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs again at Arrowhead Stadium after the Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday.
If the Broncos upset the Bills on Sunday, the Texans would face the Ravens in the AFC divisional round.
The Texans will be watching Sunday as they await their next opponent.
“It’s not easy to have fun when you’re not executing,” Stroud said. “You know, execution breeds energy and brings that excitement to the game. Once we start executing, we start playing with that swag. I think it pops out on film or pops off. When we’re rolling, we’re rolling. It’s the in-between we need to fix.
“Still a ton of things we can fix, but I definitely think the joy that we have after executing, we need to keep that rolling. You just get one more week. I mean, that’s what we did. We bought ourselves one more week to be around each other and to really get to it and to accomplish our real goal. So, you know, we’re excited and we’re ready.”
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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
