For as bad of a season that C.J. Stroud had in the public eye during his sophomore campaign, he seems to be hot in the playoffs. At least that’s what the numbers say after the wild-card round.
The Houston Texans second-year passer led all quarterbacks with 282 passing yards in a 32-12 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday to advance to the divisional round.
Buffalo Bills gunslinger Josh Allen, who guided the AFC East champions to a victory over the Denver Broncos, finished second with 10 fewer yards.
#Texans QB C.J. Stroud’s 282 passing yards led all quarterbacks in the wild-card round.
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) January 14, 2025
Stroud, who also threw a touchdown pass and an interception, really found his mojo after a 34-yard fumble recovery-turned-completion to Xavier Hutchinson. That was the start of a 99-yard drive capped off with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins, thus giving Houston a 7-6 lead.
The Texans (11-7) never trailed the rest of the afternoon in what could be the final home game at NRG Stadium. They scored 23 unanswered points before Los Angeles ever found its way back.
Stroud also finished with a 66.7% completion rating and a 90.7 passer rating.
“People always see our mountaintops, but one thing that people don’t understand there are valleys, too, times just going through it. In my life, I’m very grateful for both,” Stroud said postgame. “I haven’t always been that way, but my character is being built as I continue to play this great game. I’m really blessed to have the teammates I have.”
The Texans travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT.
