For the first three quarters of this past Monday's Wild Card matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans CJ Stroud looked like he was on the verge of having one of the most stunning single-game collapses in recent NFL Playoff history. The third-year quarterback fumble a staggering five times and threw an interception as well, almost single-handedly keeping the Steelers alive in a game in which their offense couldn't even crack 200 total yards or more than 6 points.
CJ Stroud's performance was so disastrous and disappointing that it even prompted former Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell to joke -- or perhaps it was a serious point-shaving accusation -- that Stroud should be investigated by the league.
Houston survived Stroud's mess of a performance on Monday night in Pittsburgh, and now the Texans will hit the road once again, this time in New England, to attempt to make the AFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history. In order to put himself and the Texans in the best position possible to go where no other Texans team has before, Stroud understands the importance of learning from Monday's showing and then putting it all behind him.
“We had some problems with the snaps, me catching them. I’ve got to find a way just to catch them and then take care of the ball," Stroud said, per Mark Maske of the Washington Post. "These games, the 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.”
A quarterback in this position could have the best attitude possible -- and from the sounds of it, Stroud is doing all he can to abide by a 'Don't love the love, don't hate the hate' mentality -- but that doesn't necessarily mean teammates will follow suit.
In Houston's case though, every one of CJ Stroud's teammates and coaches have continued to rally behind the quarterback who they all believed 'was built for this' before the postseason began.
"I know CJ and Jake (Andrews), they’ll do a great job of being on that this week and I think no one feels [worse] about that than CJ," Ryans said of Stroud and Andrews' issues with the snaps. "I know he’ll get that corrected, get it fixed, and he’ll be ready to roll this week.”
Even in the face of adversity, Stroud's teammates were impressed with the poise he displayed on Monday night.
“CJ 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.”
“We have the ultimate faith in CJ,” Will Anderson Jr. added. “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."
The unwavering support from his Texans teammates hasn't been lost on Stroud.
“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.”