What Texans' C.J. Stroud is looking to reclaim ahead of wild-card game

The Houston Texans began the summer as advertised Super Bowl contenders largely because many assumed quarterback C.J. Stroud would only improve after he earned Offensive Rookie of the Year Award honors for the 2023 season. 

While the 2024 Texans emerged as champions of a weak AFC South division, Stroud failed to make any significant leap as the Texans won 10 of 17 games. Stroud discussed his up-and-down sophomore campaign ahead of Houston's home wild-card playoff matchup versus the 11-6 Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday. 

"I'm still fighting for my peak competitive edge because I haven't really gotten to it as much as I would like," Stroud recently told ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime. "This year, I had it at the beginning of the season. I feel like I fight every day to get that edge back. ... It starts and stops with me. It's not always easy. It's heavy. I've been trying my best to keep that fire."

Per Pro Football Reference, Stroud ended the first regular season of his pro career ranked sixth in the NFL among qualified players with a 100.8 passer rating, first with an average of 273.9 passing yards per game and tied for 13th with 23 touchdowns through the air. Across 15 starts, he was sacked 38 times. 

To compare, Stroud took 52 sacks over 17 games this season (the second-most in the league). He heads into the Chargers game ranked 25th among qualified players with an 87.0 passer rating, 21st with an average of 219.2 passing yards per contest and tied for 15th with 20 passing touchdowns. While he tossed only five interceptions as a rookie, he was picked off 12 times this season. 

Throughout the playoffs, Stroud will be without key wide receivers Stefon Diggs (torn ACL) and Tank Dell (knee). As of Thursday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Texans as three-point home underdogs against the Chargers. 

While speaking with Bien-Aime, Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans seemed to challenge his second-year signal-caller to lift his teammates at NRG Stadium this weekend.  

"You see it when [Stroud's] on and playing well," Ryans explained. "You see that competitive fire. It's about others playing well around him as well. When we play well around him, and we set him up for success, and we do that on a continued basis, everybody's successful."

Any one player can only do so much, but Stroud may need to play his best game of the season to guide Houston back to the divisional round of the playoffs for a second straight year.