Saturday, C.J. Stroud and the Texans dismantled the Browns in the Wild Card Round, 45-14. Stroud was fantastic in his first ever playoff game. The rookie QB threw for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 21 attempts. It may have come as a shock how well Houston moved the ball on an elite Cleveland defense. But as a man who took the Texans to win outright, I was actually expecting C.J Stroud to ball out.
From: Carmen Mandato (Getty Images)
Why, you might ask? Because Stroud has been doing this as long as the national media has known him. Every single time his team needs a big performance, Stroud gives it to them.
From: David Dermer (AP Photo)
O-H
In his two years as the starter at Ohio State, C.J. Stroud was 21-4. Two of those losses came to Michigan where his defense could not stop the run. The third loss came against Oregon, where admittedly, he struggled. But in his final game as a starter, he went toe-to-toe with the future back-to-back champs in the Peach Bowl. Stroud, while missing Marvin Harrison Jr. for a majority of the game, threw the ball all over the yard on the Bulldogs. He slung it for 348 yards and four touchdowns on what was regarded the best defense in the country.
That Georgia game was no fluke. Remember Jaxson Smith-Njigba's historic performance in the Rose Bowl against Utah? Stroud was the one throwing him the ball. He threw for 573 YARDS AND 6 TOUCHDOWNS in the most prestigious bowl game there is.
Stroud collected a litany of awards during his time as a Buckeye. Back-to-back B1G Offensive Player of the years, two-time Heisman finalist, along with 16 school records. The man was a machine at Ohio State.
"Imma Keep Letting It Fly"
Stroud's gunslinging did not stop when he got to Houston. Following his worst game of the season in which he threw 3 interceptions, Stroud said "No confidence is taken away from me. Imma keep letting it fly." Following that win against Arizona, Stroud and the Texans faced some adversity. Houston went 2-2 down the stretch, setting up a win-and-in game against the Colts on the road.
So what did Stroud do? Oh yeah, he threw a 75-yard strike to Nico Collins on his first play from scrimmage. Let me repeat, 75 yards on the FIRST PLAY FROM SCRIMMAGE. And he kept it up for the entire game, throwing for 264 and 2 touchdowns in a must-win game, resulting in Houston securing their first division championship since 2019.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTGsp5LE_UI
From: Simply AS10 on Youtube via MNF on ESPN (NFL)
Look, I understand that C.J. Stroud is a rookie, and rookies do not normally fair well in the playoffs. But Stroud is different. He has the arm talent, the poise, and the moxie to be an elite quarterback, and he's playing like it. The Wild Card round was not a fluke, and the Ravens should be scared to face off against this team when C.J. Stroud is playing like this.
If you liked this article and want to read the rest of our NFL related posts, you can find them here.