Texans' C.J. Stroud Makes NFL History in Playoff Win vs Steelers

It was far from a perfect day for Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud in their franchise's first-ever road playoff win, taking down the Pittsburgh Steelers, but in the end, he had enough in the tank to will this team to a commanding 30-6 victory with the help of an elite defensive performance, now advancing to next weekend's divisional round against the New England Patriots.

And in the process of that victory for Stroud and the Texans to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive for at least one more week, the third-year signal caller wound up making some unique NFL history too.

According to NFL Plus, Stroud is now just the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win a playoff game in each of his first three seasons in the league.

C.J. Stroud is the 3rd QB in the Super Bowl era to win a playoff game in each of his first 3 career seasons 📈@HoustonTexans | #HTownMade pic.twitter.com/XKjjyRZXqZ
— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) January 13, 2026

Stroud is also just the fifth quarterback since 1950 to advance to the divisional round in each of their first three seasons, as he now extends his Wild Card record to a perfect 3-0 alongside his head coach, DeMeco Ryans, showcasing just how strong the signal-caller’s track record— and the Texans as a whole— have been while in the early rounds of the tournament.

C.J. Stroud Putting Himself in Rare Playoff Company

Stroud did have his hiccups early on in the night as he would combine for a staggering five fumbles throughout the game, two of those being recovered by the Steelers defense, and the other three reclaimed by the Texans. At the start of the third quarter, he would toss his only interception of the day to Pittsburgh cornerback Brandin Echols to further emphasize those giveaways.

Pure hesitation from CJ Stroud leads to an errant interception. Three turnovers today: pic.twitter.com/JyGbdzbeDM
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) January 13, 2026

However, in due time, the Texans' defense would help take the weight off of Stroud's shoulders by ravaging the Steelers' offensive attack once the second half arrived.

The Steelers' drives from the third quarter on would consist of two straight punts, a fumble recovery for a touchdown from Sheldon Rankins, another punt, a 50-yard pick six from Calen Bullock to extend their already strong lead to 24, then ended the game out with Mason Rudolph in at quarterback. A simply dominant night from Houston's league-best unit that proved that, even with excessive mistakes on the offensive side, their defensive strength can help this group to a comfortable win.

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That's not to say that Stroud wasn't productive outside of his giveaways. He still completed 21 of his 32 total attempts through the air for 250 yards, led an effective and efficient 14-play drive in the second quarter that ended with a Christian Kirk touchdown, which helped their slot veteran to have his best game of the year so far with eight catches for 144 yards and a score.

The task for Stroud, heading into Foxboro, will be to keep those mistakes to a bare minimum and finish those opportunities in the red zone more efficiently to make for a balanced attack with their dominant defense all around the field.

If he can do that, then perhaps he can lead the Texans to their first-ever AFC Conference Championship appearance, and thus push his name a bit further into those history books.

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