In the Wild Card game, the Houston Texans walked into Acrisure Stadium and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 in a one-sided affair. Now, the Battle Red Nation is packing for Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots will host the Texans in the AFC divisional round. Still, beneath the cheers, there was tension. CJ Stroud struggled early, and after the game, HC DeMeco Ryans did not dodge that.

At first, the night felt like it could slip away. Stroud coughed up two fumbles in the first half and later tossed an interception. Normally, those mistakes bury teams fast. However, the Texans leaned on what they do best. Their defense stood tall, kept the score clean, and gave their quarterback the much-needed breathing room.

Eventually, Stroud slowed things down and looked far more settled after halftime. After that, Ryans addressed it head-on without panic.

“Bad plays happen. Turnovers happen in the game, but we bounce back. We didn’t allow that to affect us for the rest of the game, went out of finish,” DeMeco Ryans said.

Then, the Texans’ head coach praised his quarterback, too.

“We had some bad plays happen for C.J. (Stroud). But he didn’t waver. It’s a 60-minute football game, and he kept battling to the end.”

Honestly, that summed it up perfectly. It would have been easy for Stroud to spiral or for the defense to crack under constant pressure. Instead, neither happened. Even with short fields all night, Houston’s defense allowed the Steelers just three points off those turnovers. That is wild. That unit completely shut down the Steel City when it mattered most.

Still, nobody is pretending it was pretty. Stroud did not play his cleanest game, and that is clear. Yet, what matters more is how he adjusted and made enough plays late. Yes, the defense blew the game open. Even so, this was a real lesson. In year three and on his third playoff run, moments like this sharpen a quarterback fast.

Finally, the bigger picture tells a mixed story. In four career playoff games, Stroud has completed 66.1% of his throws for 976 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. That is solid. Unfortunately for Houston, Monday night against Mike Tomlin’s defense was easily his roughest showing.

CJ Stroud was disastrous against the Steelers

Before talking about CJ Stroud’s recent performance, let’s go back to last year. He played in all 17 games in 2024, but this year he missed three after a Week 9 concussion against the Broncos. Even though he posted the highest completion percentage of his career at 64.5%, his season was a rollercoaster. Over 273 completions, 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions showed flashes of brilliance, but inconsistency lingered.

Then came Monday night. Stroud’s clean streak with turnovers ended fast. After going without a fumble in 2025’s first weeks, he coughed up two against the Steelers and threw an interception. Not many teams survive a 3-0 turnover deficit, yet Houston’s defense saved the day.

According to PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric, the Texans’ unit ranks second in the league, and it showed. Without them, this game could have been a disaster.

Still, the Texans found a way. They shut down the Steelers’ offense, but Stroud’s night, 21 completions on 32 passes for 250 yards, a touchdown, an interception, and two fumbles, didn’t exactly inspire confidence heading into the Divisional Round against the Patriots.

Meanwhile, talk about backup QB Davis Mills started swirling. He didn’t travel to Pittsburgh, choosing to stay back with his wife for the birth of their son, Maximus Mills. Mills went 3-0 as a starter this season, completing 57.2% of his passes for 915 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. He’s not an obvious upgrade over Stroud, but fans wonder if he’s a safer hand.

Still, the Texans appear committed to Stroud, at least for now, and all eyes will be on him in the next game to see if he can answer the doubts.