The Houston Texans dominated in their Wildcard win over the Cleveland Browns. Houston defeated Cleveland by the score of 45-14.
C.J. Stroud tied the rookie record for touchdown passes in a playoff game with three, and the Texans' defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive drives.
While Stroud and the big splash plays by the defense are getting all of the attention, one performance flew under the radar, but was equally as important for the Texans.
Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. was an absolute menace throughout the game. According to Next Gen Stats, Stingley lined up against Amari Cooper on 35 snaps. On those 35 snaps, Cooper was targeted just once, and had zero catches. Stingley's outstanding performance earned him audible praise from head coach DeMeco Ryans.
"That was an outstanding job by Sting," Ryans said. "He was up for the challenge, up for the matchup. And that's what playoff football is about- it's about your playmakers stepping up [and] making plays and that's what Stingley did all day today."
Regardless of whom the Texans will face in the Divisional round, they will need more of that type of play from their former first-round cornerback.
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