Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud Is Loving Being an Underdog

Houston Texans star quarterback C.J. Stroud is more than happy with his team being an underdog.

Jan 5, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) waves to the crowd against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Nissan Stadium. / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Houston Texans and star quarterback C.J. Stroud are not being given much of a chance to win their Wild Card matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday afternoon.

While they are entering the playoffs with some key players out due to injury, the Texans are still an extremely talented team. They're loaded with talent and have a great head coach leading the way in DeMeco Ryans.

Being counted isn't something that is bothering the team. Houston is embracing the underdog role.

Stroud, in particular, has spoken out about coming into the game as an underog. He's more than happy to have that tag placed on him and the Texans.

“Noise is always going to be there,” Stroud said. “It’s a part of sports. It’s always evident in this sport. They said the same thing about us last year when we played the Browns (in the playoffs). I kind of like being the underdog. I’ve been the underdog a lot of my life and my career, so it’s actually comfortable for me.”

That is exactly the kind of response that Houston fans wanted to hear.

During his second NFL season, Stroud has not played up to the expectations that had been set for him. He has had a bit of a down season, but he could be primed to explode for a huge game and a big run at any moment.

In 2024, Stroud ended up playing in all 17 games. He completed 63.2 percent of his pass attempts for 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

Obviously, those numbers were not the kind of year that Stroud was targeting. Ahead of the season, he was receiving major MVP hype. To this point, he hasn't been able to show off that jump.

That being said, there would be no better time for Stroud to find his stride than in the playoffs. No one should count him out from having a massive game and leading Houston to an "upset" win over the Chargers.

Hopefully, he's able to do just that. Stroud and the Texans may be the underdog, but they're a dangerous underdog that has more than enough talent to win and make a shocking run.