C.J. Stroud has Texans dreaming large, however perhaps not sufficiently big

HOUSTON — It was over earlier than the tip of the third quarter. The staff nobody thought might make any noise this season had each Houston Texans fan at NRG Stadium standing, shouting and waving their telephones as flashlights.

And with about 10 minutes left within the sport, rookie phenom C.J. Stroud’s day was already achieved. Sixteen of 21 for 274 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 157.2 passer ranking in Houston’s 45-14 dismantling of the Cleveland Browns within the wild-card spherical. And he’d solely actually wanted the primary half, passing for 236 yards towards the No. 1 protection within the league, probably the most yardage the Browns allowed within the first two quarters all season.

“I ain’t by no means seen something like this,” mentioned third-year tight finish Brevin Jordan.

Stroud made Cleveland’s secondary appear like fictional characters. He was by no means sacked and the one time he was actually hit, Stroud nonetheless accomplished a 38-yard move to Nico Collins.

“That was No. 3 or No. 4 within the development, relying on the way you take a look at it,” backup quarterback Davis Mills mentioned. “(Stroud) does a extremely good job of actually profiting from what the protection is giving to us, and it doesn’t matter if 1 just isn’t open, or 2 just isn’t open, he’s going to maintain clicking by way of his development and trusting our offensive line to carry up in safety and discovering a man out in house.”

Stroud and Browns quarterback Joe Flacco traded haymakers forwards and backwards for a lot of the primary half. Final week at Indianapolis — in a sport the Texans needed to win for an opportunity on the playoffs — Stroud wowed in his first prime-time affair, connecting on a 75-yard landing move on the primary play of the sport. He had one other single-play landing drive Saturday, this time to Jordan, who took a brief move within the flat 76 yards to the tip zone early within the second quarter within the Texans’ longest play this season. Houston took the 24-14 lead when tight finish Dalton Schultz broke open on a 37-yard publish route late within the half.

Within the second half, DeMeco Ryans’ protection dominated, scoring the staff’s first two pick-sixes of the season on back-t0-back performs from cornerback Steven Nelson and linebacker Christian Harris to go up 38-14. Houston’s protection, bolstered by move rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Jonathan Greenard, who had been restricted by harm in latest video games, repeatedly pressured Flacco and made him uncomfortable within the pocket. The run protection, in the meantime, held the Browns to only 56 speeding yards as Cleveland was shut out within the second half.

Stroud on Saturday turned the youngest quarterback in NFL historical past to win a playoff sport, however his teammates see even higher issues in his future.

“I believe he’s gonna be the very best of all time,” mentioned third-string quarterback Case Keenum, an 11-year NFL veteran. “Like, he actually has the power to be that manner. … I do know, it’s very early to say that kind of stuff. However, man, he does some stuff that’s simply out of this world.”

A part of Keenum’s job is to be the hype man for the starter. He is aware of and acknowledges this. However he’s severe. “On a superb day, there’s perhaps two or three (throws) that I would like again, and on a nasty day, there’s 10,” Keenum mentioned. “I can depend on perhaps one hand the issues that he’s missed this whole yr.”

Keenum mentioned Wednesday that each two minutes he has a brand new favourite throw from the rookie. Final week, it was the unbelievable scramble drill that seemed like a throwaway earlier than Collins dove and caught the ball; a couple of minutes later it was Stroud’s 23-yard shot to Collins that obtained the Texans in scoring place.

“That’s one dude that’s locked in,” Collins mentioned. “He’s calm and picked up, he’s prepared to go away all of it on the market for the brother. Seven is particular.”

Jordan mentioned Stroud stopped feeling like a rookie throughout coaching camp.

“I want you guys might be within the huddle and round him,” Jordan mentioned. “The dude is unbelievable, how he strikes, how he talks, every thing, you’ll be able to inform from coaching camp that he was a captain and a QB1, since like day two. You could possibly inform how he moved, like how he walks across the locker room and talks to guys. When you will have a humble, assured man who likes to work, the sky’s the restrict.”

“What C.J. has been doing on the sphere is bringing town out, man, it’s wonderful to be part of,” operating again Dameon Pierce mentioned.

When Ryans emerged as a head teaching candidate for the Texans final January, former Texans defensive deal with and present Houston radio host Seth Payne struggled to search out the suitable phrases to explain Ryans to Payne’s radio viewers.

“I used to be simply actually annoyed in making an attempt to elucidate how distinctive a person he’s,” Payne mentioned. “Since you hear this crap on a regular basis from individuals, like, PR campaigns about what superior dudes they’re. … So I actually needed to stand on high of tables to inform everybody, like, no, I actually imply it. He’s totally different than different individuals.”

Payne was an “old-fashioned, grumpy veteran” when the Texans took Ryans within the second spherical of the 2006 NFL Draft. And he was upset {that a} rookie linebacker was getting to start out early on in coaching camp.

“Inside a few days, I spotted what an fool I used to be for having that opinion,” he mentioned. “The man simply exudes management and maturity. It stands proud now, nevertheless it actually stands proud when a child is 22 years outdated. And you may simply inform then that any person’s an outdated soul.”

Payne tells a narrative in regards to the first time Ryans known as performs within the huddle, when the rookie had a tough time getting the play name out and Payne snapped at him. “He checked out me and it was like he was The Beastmaster,” Payne mentioned. “I didn’t even know what occurred, I used to be instantly pacified, like he would possibly as effectively have shot me with a tranquilizer dart.”

The years-long dysfunction in Houston started beneath the fiery Invoice O’Brien and the mysterious Jack Easterby. After O’Brien was ousted, franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson requested a commerce. After which the scandal. Watson sat out the 2021 season, then was traded to Cleveland, and Houston cycled by way of two one-and-done coaches in 2021 and 2022.

Ryans, who made two Professional Bowls as a six-year starter in Houston, emerged as one of the vital sought-after head-coaching candidates available on the market final offseason after a sterling run as a defensive assistant in San Francisco. He was a slam-dunk rent for his former staff. Or perhaps a tranquilizer-dart rent.

Stroud led the offensive turnaround whereas Ryans put his stamp on the protection, counting on younger flagbearers like Anderson, whom Houston chosen one choose after Stroud after buying and selling up. The outcome? Ten wins and the staff’s first division title since 2019. And now, after Saturday’s fireworks, the transformation occurred so shortly that it nonetheless doesn’t really feel actual to the gamers who had been right here final yr and the yr earlier than.

“My final two years right here, it wasn’t excellent,” Collins mentioned. “For us to get 10 wins, now 11 wins, playoffs — that’s an enormous turnaround. It’s laborious to elucidate the sensation. “

“Uh, 3-13 to a playoff, second spherical?” Pierce mentioned. “Everyone was doubting us, however rightfully so. We didn’t give them a purpose to consider in us final yr.”

Payne has heard the character of the calls he takes change drastically from a yr, or two or three in the past.

“The dialog is far more about precise soccer now than it’s about cleaning soap opera drama,” he mentioned. “There have been so many points and a lot drama — and, frankly, dysfunction — for awhile that you just began to neglect that you might be a soccer staff that was targeted totally on taking part in soccer video games.”

Carlos Lopez, a 28-year-old Texans fan who has been coming to video games for many of his life, wore a No. 7 Stroud jersey in his seat on the second degree of NRG Stadium Saturday. Earlier than the sport started, he mentioned he realized the ceiling for the Texans is far greater than he ever thought it might be.

“When Deshaun was right here, I assumed that was the very best that we might get, we’re so fortunate to have Deshaun,” Lopez mentioned. “However now, trying again at it … the place we at the moment are is manner higher than what Deshaun ever did for us.

“That is the brand new expectation, that we’ll be right here many times and once more. That’s the expectation that Stroud has put upon himself and this staff. Simply what he’s achieved yr one.”

(Picture: Michael Owens / Getty Photographs)