The Texans registered a dominating win on Saturday in their wildcard matchup.

DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud (via Imago)

The Houston Texans have continued their dream run even in the postseason. In a high-voltage encounter against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, the team registered a stellar victory by 45-14. It was another stellar performance by the Texans offense.

The victory in the playoffs was the first for the Texans’ rookie HC DeMeco Ryans. After the game, the HC seemed pretty satisfied. In addition, Ryans attributed the victory’s credit to the quarterback CJ Stroud who continues his fantastic rookie year in the league.

C.J. is the reason we’re in this position. He’s special. A special young man, special player. He continues to shine no matter how big the moment is–Our whole team is leaning on him and he has the shoulders to carry that weight, and he shows up week after week, continues to improve week after week. No moment is too big for him. The confidence he gives to our whole team is so cool to watch, and we’re looking forward to moving on.

The Texans QB was at his usual best against the Browns on Saturday. He led the team with three touchdowns for 274 yards. In addition, the signal caller also completed 16 of his 21 passes. His impressive performance was the key to winning it for the Texans.

Stroud is the clear favorite for the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Along with his stats, the QB helped the team to grab a spot in the postseason.

Ryans was already aware CJ Stroud being a big game player

Even before taking his team to the playoffs, the HC knew that Stroud is a big game player. DeMeco Ryans praised his quarterback publicly.
C.J. doesn’t surprise me. We talked about it earlier in the week with C.J. being special in these big-time moments when you need it most, to step up and make plays. He’s done it time after time throughout the entire year. It’s not surprising. That’s who he is. He’s one of the best passers in this league. And he shows it consistently, game in and game out.

Ryans said via ESPN
C.J. Stroud (via cj7stroud on Instagram)
Considering the performance of the quarterback, it can easily be said that Stroud deserves this appreciation. The Texans had three dreadful seasons and it became a pattern for them.

In that scenario, signing a college rookie became pivotal for them. Stroud had a fabulous season with 23 TDs and five interceptions. He also held the least number of interceptions record for the full-time starters. It is safe to say that the future is bright in Houston because C.J. Stroud is just getting started.