The Houston Texans pulled off an impressive and dominant Wild Card round victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday afternoon by a score of 32-12 to advance to the Divisional Round for the second consecutive year.
Many had lost faith in the Texans after an unexceptional season, but they silenced all the doubters by picking off Justin Herbert four times and putting forth one of their best performances of the year.
In the process, Stroud became the Texans’ franchise leader in playoff wins despite playing in just three career playoff games.
C.J. Stroud is the Texans’ franchise leader in playoff wins.
He’s played in three career playoff games. pic.twitter.com/UnCUPiCuC8
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 12, 2025
Stroud was 22-for-33 for 282 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the victory while adding 42 yards on the ground.
He was economical and efficient while letting his defense take center stage as they picked off Justin Herbert more times than the entire league combined through 17 games of the regular season.
Stroud dominated in the Wild Card round last year in a 45-14 win over the Cleveland Browns, throwing for 274 yards and three touchdowns in his postseason debut.
Houston only has six playoff wins in its history, and Stroud has two of them.
The other quarterbacks with one playoff win each for this franchise include T.J. Yates, Matt Schaub, Brock Osweiler, and Deshaun Watson.
All six of those wins have come in the Wild Card round.
The team is 0-5 all-time in the Divisional Round and has never reached an AFC Championship game.
Stroud will look to extend his franchise record and lead his Texans to the AFC title game for the first time next week against either the Kansas City Chiefs or Baltimore Ravens.
