When the Houston Texans began their second drive of the game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 18, C.J. Stroud was not on the field. Why was the Texans starting QB out of the game?
What Happened to C.J. Stroud?
In Week 18, a lot of wonky things happen in the NFL. With very few games mattering, teams with nothing to play for will get young guys and backups playing time. The teams locked into the playoffs often rest starters.
Heading into this week, head coach DeMeco Ryans said his starters would play, but was noncommittal on how much. The Texans clinched the AFC South a couple of weeks ago, and as of last week, they were locked into the No. 4 seed. No matter what happens in Week 18, the Texans can’t move from their current seed.
Given how poorly the Texans played last week, scoring zero offensive points, Ryans wanted his team to show something this week to get a little momentum. On the Texans’ opening drive, they marched down the field with Stroud hitting Nico Collins for a touchdown.
Stroud throws left to a wide open Nico Collins for the TD
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Evidently, Ryans had seen enough from his main guys. After the defense forced a punt, Stroud and Joe Mixon were replaced by Davis Mills and Dare Ogunbowale. Collins stayed in for one more reception, presumably for some sort of incentive, and then exited the game as well.
What Is the Houston Texans’ Current Playoff Picture?
The Texans are locked into the No. 4 seed. At 9-7, Houston has clinched the AFC South but cannot catch any of the other division champions.
The Texans controlled their own destiny for the No. 3 seed entering their Week 17 Christmas Day matchup. However, a 31-2 destruction at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens eliminated that possibility and clinched the No. 4 seed for the Texans.
It will be the second straight season that Houston enters the playoffs as the No. 4 seed. C.J. Stroud had a historic playoff debut in the team’s 45-14 rout over the Cleveland Browns before falling 34-10 on the road to the top-seeded Ravens in the Divisional Round.
Who Are the Texans’ Potential Wild Card Round Opponents?
The Texans will see either the Pittsburgh Steelers or Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round.
The Steelers failed to clinch the No. 5 seed after losing to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night. However, they own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chargers due to a win over Los Angeles back in Week 3.
Pittsburgh can still end up at the No. 5 seed if the Chargers fall at the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday in Week 18. However, with the Chargers playing their starters, that scenario feels unlikely.
Thus, the Texans will face the Chargers if Los Angeles takes care of business against the last-place Raiders. If Las Vegas upsets the Chargers, then Houston will host Pittsburgh instead.
Houston has not faced either team this season. The Texans enter Week 18 having suffered back-to-back losses to Super Bowl contenders in the Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. Head coach DeMeco Ryans has stated that Houston will play its starters vs. the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in an effort to improve their form entering the postseason.