After delivering one of the most impressive rookie quarterback seasons in the history of the NFL, C.J. Stroud regressed towards the dreaded sophomore slump in 2024, and when they started off the 2025 regular season with three consecutive losses, it seemed as if the magic had faded. Nevertheless, the third-year QB was determined, and with the help of his elite defense, Stroud found a way to guide the Texans back towards the post season.
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For many, the injuries and slow start would have been more than enough to result in a lost season, but Stroud isn’t like the masses. In fact, he’s been battling adversity for most of his life, ever since his father, and the ex-husband of his mother, Kim, was incarcerated on charges of kidnapping, car jacking, and robbery, when he was just 13 years old.
“It was almost like the rug was taken from under our family,” his sister, Cieara, tearfully recalled. “Before me and C.J. knew it, we found out he was having to go to prison.”
As a result, Kim was responsible for everything. Three children, breadwinner duties, football practices, and so much more, all became her sole burden to bear. The words “devastating” and “hard” were used to describe her situation at the time, but even still today, it sometimes seems as if that doesn’t do her situation justice.
She explained that “I became mom and dad in essence, because I don’t really think that I could be dad.” She would take on every job that she could, managing properties and handling blue collar jobs for the sake of the family. “I would be so dirty from head to toe [from working.] I had dirt in my ears.”
Nowadays, however, she finds herself cheering for her son in NFL playoff games and celebrating the releases of Cieara’s latest projects as a recording artist. Suffice to say, the family has gone through hell and has now made it out the other side.
Thankfully for both Stroud and the city of Houston, the Texans have followed a similar plot line. Between a concussion that sidelined him for three consecutive weeks and their 3-5 record at the halfway point of the season, it certainly looked as if life was beginning to be unkind to them, but as we now know, that particular feeling is no stranger to Stroud.
What followed was a nine-game win streak and a bid for this to be the best season in the history of the Texans’ franchise. Their 12 wins from their 2025 campaign tie their highest single season total from 2012, and the offense even managed to generate 400+ total points for just the third time ever.
Simply put, let this serve as a reminder to define your own situation, rather than let the situation define you.
