Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud led the Houston Texans to a 45-14 win over Joe Flacco and the Cleveland Browns in a Super Wild Card Weekend game on Saturday in Texas.
It is Houston’s first postseason win since a 22-19 win over the Buffalo Bills in the NFL‘s wild-card round after the 2019 season.
Stroud was 18 when the Texans last won a playoff game. Stroud (22 years, 102 days) is the youngest QB to win a playoff game, passing Michael Vick (22 years, 192 days).
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After winning as 2.5-point underdogs, Houston advances to the divisional round against an opponent to be determined.
After the win, the Texans’ odds to win Super Bowl LVIII went to +1700 from +4000 entering the postseason.
FOX Sports Dallas Cowboys Insider David Helman was impressed.
“Looked like an All-Pro, the first rookie to ever beat the No. 1 defense in the league in a playoff game,” Helman said. “It just seems like there’s no moment that this guy can’t rise to. … It seems like no matter how big the moment is, C.J. Stroud is going to rise to it.”
Houston has made remarkable strides since finishing 3-13-1 last season, last in the AFC South.
The Texans had the second pick in April’s NFL Draft and selected Stroud, the former Ohio State star.
C.J. Stroud, Texans crush Joe Flacco, Browns
Houston entered the season with +20000 odds to win the Super Bowl.
Those odds dropped to +35000, then +550000 as Houston started 0-2.
The odds kept improving as Houston did not lose consecutive games the rest of the season.
The Texans were +8750 and +8250 prior to winning their final two regular-season games.
One NFL expert not surprised by Houston’s rout of the Browns was FOX Sports NFL Analyst Geoff Schwartz.
Schwartz predicted the Texans’ defense would score an anytime touchdown against the Browns (+850).
The Texans not only did that, but they scored two defensive touchdowns.
“Joe Flacco throws a ton of interceptions. … he does turn the ball over a lot, and Flacco to have one turnover probably is an expensive price,” Schwartz said prior to the game. “I don’t know if you want to pay for that. But I sort of like a Flacco pick-six. Houston having a defensive score feels like something that’s a decent enough wager.”
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