Before we get into what the Houston Texans did to the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night, we should remind you what quarterback C.J. Stroud did without. The Texans had lost receivers Nathaniel “Tank” Dell, Robert Woods, and Noah Brown to injury — three of their top five receivers on the season. And it didn’t matter one bit. Partially because Stroud was in as much of a zone as we’ve seen from him in his nearly-sure Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign, and partially because receiver Nico Collins decided to become some unholy combination of Tyreek Hill and Mike Evans.
In the 23-19 win that put the Texans in the playoffs and eliminated the Colts from the postseason, Stroud completed 20 of 26 passes for 264 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 134.1. Stroud’s poise in and out of the pocket, ball placement, understanding of reads and coverages, and ability to sustain big plays through a game have been evident all season long, and never more so than in this game. And in his first prime-time NFL contest, Stroud proved it all the way through.
“C.J. – he doesn’t surprise me,” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said after the game. “We’ve talked about it earlier in the week with C.J. just being special in these big-time moments. When we need him most to step up and make plays, he has done it time after time throughout the entire year. It’s not surprising to anyone. That’s who he is. He is one of the best passers in this league, and he shows it consistently game in and game out.”
No argument there, and let’s review the details of what both Stroud and Collins were able to do.
"You can just tell he's got that it factor" Nico Collins was fired up about his QB CJ Stroud postgame @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/jmhBP67NH2
— Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) January 7, 2024
The opening bomb.
The Texans wasted no time opening a can on the Colts’ defense. On their first offensive play, Stroud caught the Colts in two-deep coverage, which isn’t really their modus operandi. Coming into this game, Gus Bradley’s defense had played 59% of their snaps in single-high coverage, and 48.8% in Cover-3. As Stroud had ripped Cover-3 to shreds all season long, perhaps this was the right idea — but it wasn’t the right idea here.
The Colts were in 13 personnel with three tight ends on the field, and pre-snap motion told Stroud that the Colts were in zone coverage. Collins was the only receiver on the field, and he had rookie cornerback JuJu Brents on him… until JuJu Brents wasn’t on him anymore.
On his opening 75-yard throw to Nico Collins, C.J. Stroud said that he didn't expect the Colts to be in that coverage, and he was thinking of Michael Vick throwing it deep to DeSean Jackson back in the day. pic.twitter.com/HL90P7OBUH
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) January 7, 2024
“We didn’t think they were going to be in that coverage, but Slow [offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik] is a dog, man,” Stroud said. “Slow is our guy. He had a feeling we could hit them up top. Nico did a great job creating separation. I tried to do my best to get it out there. I remember watching Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson the first play of the game. I think it was 2010 or something like that. They just let it fly. When I knew the first play was going to be that, I just kept thinking about that. Man, it’s cool just to see Nico just ball out. That was a special first play, man. Special.”
Well, there are similarities, and I’m sure Messrs. Vick and Jackson would agree.
The final drive.
Still, the game was tied when the Texans got the ball with 13:27 left in the game, and Stroud knew what he had to do.
“I told them before we went out there, I said, this is the most important drive of the year, and the look that I got back from my teammates, man, it was, like, let’s ride, let’s do this thing,” Stroud said. “There was nobody holding their hat down on a previous play or anything like that. It was just like, man, let’s go win this game. Let’s do it. Every play, even we moved backwards, I think two or three times when we had two, three penalties, and we still persevered through that.
“I just think that’s the testimony to the work we put in, the type of guys that we brought into the system, our coaching staff. They called a great game. Just a multitude of our organization just putting it together. I’m just blessed enough to be a part of it.”.
Houston had to convert a second-and-20 after a sack, and a first-and-20 after a holding penalty on fullback/tight end Andrew Beck, and they converted both. The most impressive play of that drive, which ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Devin Singletary, was this pass on second-and-14 from the Houston 46-yard line. The Colts got pressure with their four-man rush, Stroud broke the pocket, and Collins — who was on the other side of the field — went perfectly with the scramble rules to get over and make the amazing catch for exactly 14 yards.
just cj stroud doing cj stroud things pic.twitter.com/wZtTiMM2KR
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) January 7, 2024
“I think he just stamped who he is,” Stroud said of Collins. “I told him our first time ever working out together, I said, ‘You’re a superstar.’ I never even snapped the ball in the league, but I just know good receivers. I played where we have tremendous receivers. You see what they did. I told him, my goal is to make you look as best as you can, to make you look like you. I appreciate him just being just a consistent, great friend to me, somebody who I can just let my hair down with, and I think our chemistry shows on the field. Our friendship shows on the field. I’m super proud of that dude, man. It’s just the beginning for him.”
Nico Collins, making things happen.
Collins caught nine passes on nine targets for 195 yards and that long touchdown, and he wasn’t above making things happen after the catch in a serious fashion. This 29-yard play with 3:52 left in the first half actually went 31 yards after the catch, as Collins caught the quick screen from Stroud, and got busy running through a mothertrucker’s face.
Nico Collins YAC plays are best viewed with a Motorhead soundtrack. pic.twitter.com/nQYXoVu2HZ
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) January 7, 2024
“We know Nico is our go-to guy, our playmaker,” Ryans said. “For them to step up and make plays when we need it most, that’s a special connection. They were in sync all game. They were in sync. For Nico to have 195 yards, that’s big-time. I tell them all the time, he is a big-time playmaker, and he continues to show it week after week. He’s out there, he’s a problem. He’s a tough out for a lot of teams. Happy that he’s on our side.”
The moment isn't too big for the Texans.
With a rookie head coach, a rookie offensive coordinator, and a rookie quarterback, the 10-7 Texans have erased the embarrassments of 2022’s 3-13-1 season, and planted themselves firmly on the map. Nobody is taking that for granted.
“It’s tremendously special,” Stroud concluded. “It’s, like I said before, just a multitude of great people and a great organization putting together just time. One thing that I think about all the time we spend together away from our families, away from our hometowns, away from people we love. It means something now. It always has, but just the time that we put in together to see the fruits of that labor to come to be. It’s a blessing, man. I’m just blessed to be a part of this.”
Ryans agreed.
“We’re just going to enjoy this moment right now. We’ll worry about the playoffs next week. Once we find out who we’re playing, we’ll worry about it. I think right now it’s just a time to reflect and take in just a moment of gratitude for us all. To be grateful for this opportunity that we have in front of us, to be proud of the season that we’ve had, to fight through a must-win game and finding a way to win. Thank God and take a breather and just enjoy this moment.”
The moment is over more quickly and more often than you’d like in sports, but the Texans have earned this particular moment of positive reflection.
