The Houston Texans were able to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round on Monday night, 30-6. Their defense ultimately showed out in the fourth quarter and clinched the contest. They did so despite their QB, C.J. Stroud, repeatedly giving the Steelers opportunities to get back into the game.
Advertisement
Stroud had a few good moments. For example, he made long passes to Christian Kirk, including a 41-yarder. He also threw a touchdown pass and managed the game well when it came to making adjustments at the line of scrimmage.
However, for the most part, Stroud struggled. Most notably, he fumbled the ball five times and lost two of them. He also threw a red-zone interception that could have proven costly. But after the game, one could not tell he had just played a poor game.
“You mad!” Stroud told Steeler fans, while laughing, as he went to the locker room. A Reddit user made a GIF of this and shared on the social media website:
Naturally, the trash talk riled up the Pittsburgh fanbase. They vehemently shot down Stroud’s words, saying he played badly and should not be so high and mighty. They did not hold back in their critiques.
“Stroud was not good enough to talk sh*t,” one wrote on Reddit.
“I have no idea why he would be acting like that after that game. The Texans have been winning despite him all season long,” another chimed in.
“Don’t know what the other fans said, but bro, read the room. You sucked outside of some throws,” someone else piled on.
All told, if you do not just look at the GIF posted by a Steelers fan and instead watch the video of Stroud after the game with sound, you can hear Steelers fans booing him. That is why Stroud said what he said. “See you later… YOU MAD!” he said while laughing. Not to side with the QB, but the boos from the losing team certainly warranted that reaction.
The question now remains: are the Texans Super Bowl-bound after this dominating win? At the end of the day, the Texans’ defense is so good that they might continue to win despite Stroud underperforming. They have been playing like the best unit in the league for a while and have rattled off 10 straight victories.
Houston even went 3-0 while Stroud was hurt and Davis Mills was the starter. So, the third-year QB’s play ultimately might not be a major factor. But if he can figure it out and hit a groove, Houston could give better teams problems in the deep playoffs this year. And they could even make a Super Bowl run. Nothing is impossible in this league.
