Just as the football-watching world was ready to count C.J. Stroud out, the Texans’ sophomore quarterback reminded everyone what he’s capable of.
For much of 2024, his age-23 season, Stroud flaunted wisdom and precision well beyond his years.
But his performance in the first half of the AFC wild-card round against the Chargers Saturday was an entirely different story.
Entirely different, up until a point.
With just a shade over 6:30 remaining in the second quarter, just after Chargers’ punter JK Scott booted the pigskin all the way down to the Texans’ 1-yard-line, Stroud woke up.
The Texans’ ensuing drive — 13 plays and 99 yards in 5:17 — culminated with a 13-yard hook up between Stroud and his favorite target from the regular season, Nico Collins, and Houston putting their first points of the contest on the scoreboard.
The touchdown pass counted for six, but the highlight of the drive came a few minutes earlier when, facing a third-and-16 from his own 17-yard-line, Stroud found Xavier Hutchinson wide open 34 yards downfield.
The coverage may have been lacking and the window may have been gaping, but it was a small miracle that Stroud, after fumbling the snap, had both the wherewithal and the composure to meet his receiver there.
On their ensuing drive, the Chargers went three-and-out.
Stroud and company took back over with just 39 seconds remaining on the clock.
The Texans needed only 24.
Stroud completed two passes for 13 yards and added another 27 on the ground to carry the Texans into field-goal range.
Ka’imi Fairbairn knocked through his attempt from 41 yards out, and the Texans took a 13-6 lead into halftime.
Stroud’s stat line from the first two quarters: 14-for-23 and 180 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Given how his signal-caller played for the first 22 minutes and change of the first half, Texans’ head coach DeMeco Ryans will certainly take it.
“C.J. is authentic, he’s real,” Ryans had said earlier in the week, per the Associated Press. “It’s not only here, it’s in the locker room around the guys and that’s what leadership is to me. As you evolve as a leader, you just be authentic to yourself.
“You don’t have to make up anything or make up a speech or make up something to say to guys. C.J. is being C.J.”