KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In many ways, the Texans’ last football game was a microcosm of their entire season in terms of how they lost in the AFC divisional round for the second year in a row and how quarterback C.J. Stroud endured issues around him with a resilient attitude and game performances.
Stroud was once again under heavy duress and dealing with the absence of key pieces to a once-vibrant offense. Sacked eight times and hit 14 times overall while matching wits with one of the craftiest strategic defensive coordinators in the game against Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Stroud was dealing with an intricate and well-timed pressure package that brought the heat from everywhere.
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Stroud kept getting knocked down and he kept getting up. There were three sacks from defensive end George Karlaftis relentlessly collapsing the pocket, including busting past overmatched tight end Dalton Schultz and bringing down Stroud repeatedly. That included key sacks on a fourth down in the second half of a 23-14 Texans loss at Arrowhead Stadium that ended their season along with third down sack that preceded safety Justin Reid blocking a field goal in the second half.
A disciplined, timely pass rush and the attention the Texans were forced to pay to defensive tackle Chris “Stone Cold” Jones, who had one sack as he got around rookie right tackle Blake Fisher, made things tougher on Stroud, just as he experienced during the regular season when the former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year was sacked 52 times. Stroud was playing again without wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell, both out for the season with serious knee injuries and facing long rehabilitations.
Despite all of the above, Stroud largely overcame those circumstances. He played solidly and gave his team a chance to win, completing 19 of 28 passes for 245 yards and no interceptions for a 95.1 passer rating. He connected with star wide receiver Nico Collins five times for 81 yards on eight targets despite bracket coverage at times involving standout cornerback Trent McDuffie. Stroud also showed an added dimension as a runner in the postseason, most notably on scrambles against the Los Angeles Chargers and against the Chiefs. In both games, he rushed for 42 yards on six carries with long runs of 28 yards and 27 yards.
“Our team has been resilient all year,” Stroud said. “We’ve been battling tough scenarios, injuries and some of our best players going out week to week. I’m not making excuses, but just being honest. I think this has been one of the most resilient football teams I’ve ever been a part of. The next guy was always stepping up and playing as good as you can. It’s not always perfect. Last year, I don’t really remember. This year, it was a clean slate.
“It’s not about the back end of the year. We had a good game against the Chargers. I think for me, you can never relax. That’s something I don’t personally try to do just because you beat a playoff team, the next team is going to be harder. That’s something I could learn from last year to this year. Both years we won a good game, then you go on and play a better team and you have to be on your game.”
🧵Some good news for Texans fans: CJ Stroud was surgical last night as a passer in a tough environment down two of his top three weapons. He showed he could hang with the reigning champs. He also utilized his legs well as a runner these playoffs. pic.twitter.com/ns7De0AxNe
— Daniel Salib (@salibdaniel1) January 19, 2025
And Stroud utilized other targets, including Schultz having more production than usual with four catches for 63 yards on four targets and wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson catching four passes for 52 yards. The Texans converted 10 of 17 first downs, but were undone by the sacks, three missed kicks total, including one blocked field goal, on kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, eight penalties for 82 yards and some uncharacteristic defensive pass coverage breaks downs and poor tackling as Patirck Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce took control of the game in the second half and connected for a touchdown pass.
Ultimately, the Texans became the first team in NFL playoff history, breaking a string of 49 wins and no defeats, to lose despite outgaining their opponent by over 100 yards -- they finished with 336 yards of total offense.
Losing to the Chiefs was another tough moment to deal with for Stroud one year after the Texans lost in the AFC divisional round to the Baltimore Ravens. This time, the Texans lost to the two-time defending Super Bowl champions and a squad led by former NFL and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes chasing a threepeat.
“Just like anything in life, when things knock you down and don’t break you, they make you a lot tougher,” Stroud said. “I’m learning to be resilient with everything. I think those tough times on the field for me are definitely going to pay off in the long run. I’m excited because if this is a down year with another playoff win and going head-to-head with the Chiefs. I’m not saying I’m happy with it, but I’m definitely encouraged and motivated. There’s more for the Texans on the other side of the hump.”
The Texans, AFC South champions the past two seasons with Stroud under center and coach DeMeco Ryans leading the team, have a bright future and head into the offseason with holes to fill across the offensive line and at wide receiver as their primary needs. Diggs is a free agent and his rehab is going well. Dell could miss the entire 2025 season after dislocating his knee, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament, lateral collateral ligament and damaging his meniscus and has already undergone one successful procedure with his ACL reconstruction coming up on his surgical schedule of multiple procedures to repair the damage suffered on a horrific December injury while catching a touchdown at Arrowhead Stadium.
One year after being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and becoming the third quarterback in NFL history along with Tom Brady and Joe Montana to lead the league in passing yards per contest and touchdown-to-interception ratio, Stroud passed for 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. That was seven more interceptions than his rookie season when he passed for 23 touchdowns and five interceptions with 4,108 passing yards.
Although there was a decline in production and Stroud occasionally held the football too long or, worse, began anticipating hits and, at times, throwing off his back foot while backed up in the backfield due to an onslaught of big bodies coming at him full-force, he made adjustments to the situation and losses of Diggs and Dell. Even within the struggles, Stroud took steps forward and displayed toughness and a competitive streak.
“I think we grew tremendously. I would say as a collective and personally,” Stroud said. “This year has had ups and downs, but I’m grateful for it all. It’s hard to learn on the mountaintop and in the wilderness. The valley is where you get your learning experiences. God is teaching you things at that time. This year has been one of those tough years. I learned more than ever that my rock is Jesus Christ. Whenever I hit rock bottom, I know I can lean on him.
“That’s what I’ve learned this year. To have another playoff win, there’s things to hold your head high for. I’m not going to hold my head down but, at the same time, it sucks to come out here and lose in the divisional round again. I’m super grateful for the tough and good times.”
The Texans’ best moment on offense Saturday was Stroud orchestrating a physical, 15-play, 82-yard drive to start the second half caped by Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon’s 13-yard touchdown run off right tackle. On that drive, Stroud scrambled for a first down one play before Mixon’s touchdown run. He also converted a third down with a 12-yard pass to Collins and set up the touchdown with his 13-yard pass over the middle to Hutchinson.
“It shows the resilience of our team,” Stroud said. “To withhold and go through some penalties and things like that. To stay on the field and get a touchdown was huge. After that, we had a backed-up situation and then went three-and-out which was tough. There were a couple of times where they blitzed us, and it was harder to get the ball out. Not a lot of answers for that and they did a good job. Spagnuolo is a great coordinator, and he knows what he is doing. He called a good game. We’ve got to be better and not go backwards, I would say is the main thing.”
Stroud dealt with a painful ankle injury, but he never missed a snap and his knee was sore, too. Despite the pain, Stroud gutted it out.
“t warmed up,” Stroud said of his ankle that hobbled him a bit. “That part of the field was like a hard rock. I banged my knee, but it doesn’t really matter. I’m fine and I’ll be okay. Thanks for asking.”
Heading into his third NFL season, Stroud has completed 63.5 percent of his throws for 7,835 yards 43 touchdowns and just 17 interceptions. A two-time Heisman Trophy finalist and second overall pick from Ohio State, Stroud undoubtedly has a lot of big things ahead of him as he tries to get the Texans to a Super Bowl.
“We have C.J. as our quarterback and he’s the best,” star defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said. “I believe in him and I think he’s going to lead us to a Super Bowl one day.”
Going forward, there will be a lot of conversations about where the Texans can improve, whether it’s at the wide receiver and tight end positions and offensive line or offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and the game plans, but the AFC South champions can take confidence in having one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL in Stroud. He’s still a work in progress, but progress is being made.
“Just compete, that’s one thing that coach (Ryan) Day taught me in college,” Stroud said. “These types of games aren’t going to be perfect. I might call out the perfect play and the guy might be wide open, but you have to make a play for me, make somebody miss or do something. I’ll just keep being a competitor and put my team in position to win. There are times where I probably shouldn’t have done that and thrown the ball. There’s a balance and I think I try my best to do that today. I think I made a lot of plays in general. I carry that from college.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
