12 - 32

(Jan 11, 2025 · Week 19)

Obstacles stood everywhere C.J. Stroud glanced, as he considered Houston’s zero on the scoreboard, a Chargers defense positioned to end his progress on 3rd & 16, and, for added measure, a botched snap that added to an already-disastrous drive. Finding no circumstance he couldn’t overcome, Stroud — forced to first overcome the football soaring over his head — calmly collected the ball, outsped a convoy of piranha-like Los Angeles defenders, and then delivered a possession-saving 34-yard strike downfield. Changing the spectrum of Jan. 11, 2025’s game entirely, Stroud, surviving three different third downs, miraculously became NFL history’s third-ever QB to throw for 101 yards on a single drive, rare and remarkable given the 100-yard field. Ambitions went rewarded through a 32-12 victory, as Stroud guided the Texans to the Divisional Round by going 22-of-33 for 282 yards and a touchdown, accompanied by a six-carry, 42-yard complement.

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