The Houston Texans are moving on in the playoffs after holding the Pittsburgh Steelers to just six points. While the Texans ultimately won the game 30-6, the game was still very close in the fourth quarter and a big reason why that was the case was because C.J. Stroud was not at his best.
Stroud lost two fumbles in the first half and also threw an interception. For other teams, that could potentially have put them at a three-touchdown deficit but fortunately, Houston's defense is dominant and Stroud settled in during the second half.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans praised his quarterback when asked about the turnovers and said exactly how the Texans fanbase felt.
“We had some bad plays happen for C.J. (Stroud). But he didn’t waiver. It’s a 60-minute football game and he kept battling to the end.”
DeMeco Ryans reveals what impressed him most about C.J. Stroud
Perfectly said. It'd have been easy for Stroud to have continued to struggle or even for the defense to have withered under the pressure but that didn't happen. Houston's D held the Steelers to just three points off those turnovers, which is absolutely crazy.
Stroud didn't have the best game by any means but the important thing is that he did settle in and eventually made the plays he needed to. Yes, ultimately, the Texans defense broke the game wide open but this is a good learning experience for Stroud. Even though he's in the third year of his career and making a third trip to the playoffs, it's good for him to experience stuff like this so he can be even more prepared for the remaining playoff games.
Ryans knew that his quarterback would look more like himself as the game went on and that's exactly what happened. Hopefully, this is the worst Stroud looks in the postseason because if he can put a few touchdowns on the board, the defense should be able to lock the rest of the game down.