HOUSTON – It was a fairly bizarre, inexplicable and uncharacteristic performance from usually steady Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
For Stroud, it was an especially rough night during a wild-card playoff victory.
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The former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year managed to help his team pull off a 30-6 win despite major ball security issues in arguably one of the most difficult games of his career.
Stroud joined former New York Giants Super Bowl winner Eli Manning as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to fumble five times with an interception and still win the game. Manning did that two decades ago, and Stroud did so Monday night.
Stroud threw an interception and lost two fumbles as issues with botched shotgun snaps from center Jake Andrews and a poor decision created three turnovers for the Texans as they won their 10th consecutive game and the first road playoff victory in franchise history.
“We knew on tape that they did a good job of punching at the ball or while you’re throwing, getting your throwing arm,” Stroud said. “So, I tried to work on that throughout the week. They made plays. These playoff games, from my experience, they’re going to make plays, we’re going to make plays. It’s all about moving forward and trying your best to flush it and keep going.”
Despite the problems that he experienced or created himself, Stroud didn’t get rattled.
Veteran Texans offensive lineman Tytus Howard said the third-year passer stayed focused.
“C.J. was poised all game,” Texans left guard Tytus Howard said. “Whenever stuff wasn’t going his way, he was still poised. We just encouraged him and let him know we got his back. We just never wavered. We knew eventually we were going to have a breakthrough and it ended up happening for us there.”
Stroud dropped three of Andrews’ snaps with two looking slightly away from the desired target area. One more was dropped by Stroud clearly. He had another snap ricochet off his chest when the football arrived prior to him looking set in the pocket. Timing was obviously way off between Stroud and Andrews, which wasn’t an issue during the regular season.
“We had some problems with the snaps, me catching them,” Stroud said. “Got to find a way just to catch them and take care of the ball.”
Stroud had three turnovers in the Texans’ opening six drives. Both of his fumbles happened when he was in the pocket looking to throw. The interception was in the red zone, also while under heavy duress.
What happened with the snaps? Stroud took accountability.
“No, I just got to get it fixed,” he said.
Now, Stroud is working to address the issues and make corrections as the Texans prepare for an AFC divisional round showdown against the New England Patriots on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
Stroud completed 21 of 32 passes for 250 yards and threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Christian Kirk, connecting with him eight times for 144 yards and nine targets. Stroud was sharp in the red zone. He rallied in the second half and had no turnovers after the interception, going 5 for 9 for 100 yards after that pick.
The Texans went 10 for 15 on third downs, including a 46-yard completion to Kirk that led to a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal.
“I love that we had some bad plays that happened for C.J. and he didn’t waver,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “You could easily go in the tank, but he didn’t waver. That’s what it is. He’s a resilient young man who was able to bounce back. Anybody could go in the tank if you drop the ball a few times, but you keep battling.
“It’s a 60-minute football game, you keep battling until the end and that’s what he did. He made some big throws for us, some huge throws to allow us to get into striking distance to go score.”
Although it was a difficult night for Stroud in many respects, his resiliency impressed his teammates. It definitely didn’t surprise them to see Stroud avoid a total meltdown.
“We have the ultimate faith in C.J.,” All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said. “There’s not a time that we look at a game like, ‘Man, nah.’ We’re all in this together. It’s not just the defensive side of the ball, it’s not just the offensive side of the ball, it’s not just special teams.
“We’re collectively one team and when we go out there and play, we’re one team. We just have each other’s back. They come off the field, we dap them up and say: ‘Man, we got your back.’ If we mess up they do the same for us. It’s just everybody being one.”
Several players approached Stroud on the sidelines after a bad play and encouraged him to stay the course.
That was heartwarming to Stroud, a former Pro Bowl selection who threw just eight interceptions during the regular season and 25 for his career with 16 career fumbles.
Stroud said one of his favorite things about the Texans is the way every player holds themselves accountable, including coming up to him after a mistake and saying what they could have done better on the play. Then, there’s the unanimous support he seems to have from his teammates.
“I think it’s dope,” Stroud said. “I think it’s amazing for those guys to keep faith and trust in me. I have faith and trust in myself. I learn from my mistakes and try to move on. I know what things I need to get fixed, but I think I had a good game. I’ve just got to clean those things up. For those guys always keeping me uplifted it’s really helpful.”
The defense picked Stroud up as they allowed just 175 yards of total offense and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times and hit him a dozen times overall.
The defense scored two touchdowns, including a fumble recovery from defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins for 33 yards and a 50-yard interception return for a pick-six touchdown by safety Calen Bullock.
The Texans also leaned on their running game, led by rookie Woody Marks’ 112 yards and one touchdown run.
“The way they ran the ball today, the way they controlled the clock, to where they were able to continue to convert first downs and move the ball, that helps us,” said Rankins, who returned a fumble recovery 33 yards for a touchdown. “That allows us to really be able to pin our ears back and really put pressure on teams. Because if our offense is doing that, the pressure is put on their offense to try to come out and match it and do something.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com