C.J. Stroud Addresses Fumbling Issues After Texans Beat Steelers

While the Houston Texans would eventually take care of business against the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Wild Card meeting for a first-ever road playoff win, rolling to a commanding 30-6 victory and a tenth consecutive win on the season, it certainly wasn't a game without some early drama on the offensive side of the ball, particularly concerning C.J. Stroud and his excessive fumbling.

Throughout the night, Stroud had five fumbles to his name, and lost two of them to the Steelers' defense.

Between miscues with the center at the line of scrimmage, to the Texans' quarterback being hit on a couple of throws to lose control of the ball, the mistakes were prevalent early for this Houston offense, that, even while they were moving the chains downfield on most of their drives, prevented them from capitalizing with points at the end of them.

Fumble on the flea flicker! Steelers ball ‼️

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Before the night, Stroud hadn't lost a fumble all season. Yet, in just the first half, he had already lost a couple in the Texans' biggest game of the year so far––so it certainly wasn't a situation he was accustomed to in a year that he's been wildly efficient with keeping the ball out of harm's way.

But, after the game, Stroud not only owned up to those mistakes when it comes to having control of the snap, but also remained aware that the Steelers' defense has a knack for trying to get quarterbacks' arms on throws to make similar mistakes under pressure.

"With the snaps, me catching them, got to find a way just to catch them, then take care of the ball," Stroud said postgame. "We knew on tape that they did a good job of punching out the ball or trying to get you while you're throwing, get your throwing arm. So, I'll try to work on that throughout the week."

C.J. Stroud Suffers From Early Mistakes vs. Steelers

Eventually, those issues on the snap and against the Steelers' defensive unit would end up ironing out in due time, and the Texans would begin to fire on all cylinders on both sides of te ball in the fourth quarter to put points on the board.

Stroud led Houston to two drives that ended in a score— one being a 51-yard field goal from Ka'imi Fairbairn and another via a touchdown from Woody Marks— while Houston's defense would also step in for a pair of touchdowns on their behalf for a dominant 23-0 fourth quarter.

Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (27) scores a touchdown during the second half of an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

In Stroud's mind, the night was a similar situation that the Texans had faced in their previous postseason outings: both teams are talented and bound to make plays, but it's all about who makes more of them. Houston might've started off slow, but after getting deeper and deeper into the game, made the most of their opportunities when they counted.

"But they made plays. And these games, and playoff games from my experience, they're going to make plays, we're going to make plays. It's all about moving forward and trying your best to flush it and keep going. I thought every time we had to bounce back, we made more plays. So, I'm proud of our guys having a little bit of resilience in those moments, and to finish a game like that was really dope."

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Playoff football inevitably comes down to thin margins, meaning for Stroud, those mistakes will have to be cleaned up throughout the week moving forward into their postseason run for that success to remain sustainable.

However, not all wins have to be pretty ones, and with the Texans' defense forcing this one to get ugly for Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers' scoring attack, that's exactly how this one wound up transpiring for DeMeco Ryans' unit to go 3-0 in the Wild Card since being hired in 2023.

Now, it advances Houston to their third consecutive divisional round, and gives a shot to keep their ten-game win streak pushing further into their first-ever conference championship appearance if they can get the job done in Foxborough.

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