BALTIMORE, MD -- Standing inside a somber Texans locker room, following an epic turnaround season that ended painfully as Baltimore Ravens star quarterback dismantled a proud defense, veteran wide receiver Robert Woods reflected on the upward trajectory of a franchise that reversed years of hard luck and embarrassing outcomes.
Although the resurgent Texans ultimately fell short during a lopsided 34-10 AFC divisional round playoff game defeat Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium as they failed to reach the AFC championship game for the fifth time in the postseason, they did build a sound foundation this season as coach DeMeco Ryans’ leadership galvanized the organization and the city and quarterback C.J. Stroud delivered arguably the best rookie season in NFL history. A year ago, before the return of Ryans, a former Texans Pro Bowl linebacker, and the arrival of Stroud, a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist at Ohio State drafted second overall, the Texans finished 3-13-1. Now, they’re a winning team.
“I think this team has grown a whole lot,” Woods said. “We found out who we are as a team. We established a Texans culture and been able to implement that. You see that on the field. I know everyone is happy for where we’ve come from last year, not many wins. A full turnaround of the team and culture, that’s what we expected getting DeMeco and C.J.. We expected a turnaround. This team has established who we are. We believe in who we are. This year is a total confidence building. Everyone in this room believes in Texans football, believes in ourselves, believes in C.J. This team is only going up.”
It was a season defined by dramatic growth as the Texans finished 11-8 in Ryans’ first season, matching the combined victory total of the previous three seasons as he and Stroud became the first first-year coach and rookie quarterback tandem in NFL history to win a division title and Stroud joined Tom Brady and Joe Montana as the only passers in league history to lead the NFL in passing yards per game and touchdown-to-interception ratio.
When an organization has the pivotal head coach and quarterback positions figured out, $72 million in salary cap space and owns the 23rd overall pick of the first round, the future is definitely bright.
Although it was an embarrassing final game as far as sloppiness with 11 penalties as the Texans lost to the Ravens for the second time following a season-opening 25-9 loss in Baltimore, the overarching perspective was there’s a lot to be proud of an a lot to like about the team and its outlook to be involved in meaningful contests like this one going forward.
That starts with Stroud who set an NFL record by launching his career with 191 passes without an interception, finishing the season with 198 consecutive passes without an interception and passing for 4,181 yards, 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions. The last time Stroud threw an interception was against the Arizona Cardinals months ago.
“C.J. did a great job throughout the entire year, I’m proud of him,” Ryans said. “Proud of his resolve and his confidence throughout the entire year. He was the guy breaking our team down. He’s the leader of our team. I’m so proud of him and proud of how he’s grown as a player and as a leader. It’s fun to watch. Really awesome young man, the sky is the limit for him and what he can do in his career.”
It was fitting that Stroud broke down the final huddle of the season with his teammates. He’s the Texans’ guy, the focal point of the entire organization.
“DeMeco hit it on the nail, our future is bright, but these types of losses suck,” Stroud said. “It’s tough to get embarrassed like that, but definitely I think our future is bright. Coming in, guys didn’t know what it looked like to win or the standard. I think DeMeco set that at a high level of expectation. I did the same, I hope. All in all, we won a lot of games, so I think that set a great foundation for the standard for guys coming back.
“Pressure is a privilege. I think the foundation we set is a hard one built on rock like DeMeco always talks about. I’m going to continue to work my tail off next year to make the city of Houston proud, to make my family members proud, make God proud.”
The Texans had hoped to reach the AFC championship game for the first time in the history of the franchise, but fell short as they couldn’t prevent Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson from taking over the game with four total touchdowns. They were one of the final eight teams in the postseason, which represents a lot of progress after going 11-38-1 in the previous three seasons under Bill O’Brien, Romeo Crennel, David Culley and Smith.
“I feel like this was a stepping stone,” wide receiver Nico Collins said. “We have seen what this team can do and what this team is about. I feel like it’s only the beginning, feel like it’s a lot of hungry people in this locker room, that’s willing to leave it all out there.”
The Texans were tied with the Ravens, 10-10, at halftime following Steven Sims’ 67-yard punt return for a touchdown. They could have led 13-10 at halftime, but kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn had an uncharacteristic missed 47-yard field goal, just the second time he misfired this season.
“Kinda zapped the momentum,” Ryans said.
The Ravens’ top-ranked defense swarmed Stroud. Although he was never sacked, he was under heavy duress. He completed 19 of 33 passes for 175 yards and failed to score a touchdown.
“Proud of our guys for their effort throughout this entire season, for getting to this moment,” Ryans said. “It’s not a moral victory, just being here. It’s not what we set out to do. But we accomplished a lot this year. I am looking forward to the future.”
Stroud was hit five times by a Ravens defense headlined by linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen, safety Kyle Hamilton and defensive tackle Justin Madubuike.
Games like this one are learning experiences.
“These are tough lessons, but this is what makes you,” running back Devin Singletary said. “He will definitely get better from this, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for him.”
Stroud overcame a concussion in December suffered on a late hit by New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams as his head bounced off the unforgiving MetLife Stadium artificial turf. He came back and led the Texans to three consecutive victories before falling short against the Ravens.
“Honestly, I know I’m upset now, but I’m really just blessed looking back on this season,” Stroud said. “I know where I come from in college, if you don’t win it all, then it’s kind of a fail. So, that’s kind of like the mindset I have. I think we have the capability. We have the team to do it. We’ve come up short, so we can’t look back and be like, ‘Dang, we didn’t do [anything] special’
“That’s the worst feeling, just having regrets. ‘What if I did this? What if I did that?’ Just learning experiences.” My quarterback coach and my assistant quarterback coach in college, he used to always tell me, the most important job as a quarterback is to make everyone around them better. I hope guys look back and are like, ‘Dang, C.J. helped me get better. That was a guy a would ride for through thick and thin’ We had the team to do it, but we came up short.”
The Ravens’ defense led the NFL with 16.5 points allowed per game during the regular season. Stroud was held to no touchdown passes for just the fourth time this season.
Stroud connected with Singletary for 26 yards on a slick third-down throw out of the backfield. He found Collins for 29 yards, but the Ravens manufactured a decisive victory.
Stroud is regarded as a lock to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after finishing the regular season with 273.9 passing yards per game and 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
He passed for the third-most yards by a rookie quarterback in NFL history with his 4,108-yard total trailing only Andrew Luck (4,374) and Justin Herbert (4,336).
Stroud became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game last week with a 45-14 win over the Cleveland Browns as he passed for 274 yards and three touchdowns and had a 157.2 passer rating. He set the rookie single-game record for passing yards and tied the rookie record for touchdown passes in a single game with 470 yards and five touchdowns in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Something special here, the future is definitely bright,” Singletary said. “C.J., yeah, man, he’s going to be a problem for years to come. He brought it on the field and off the field. To be so young and lead a team the way he did, 7 is special. He’s going to be a problem for years to come.”
When Stroud arrived in April, he did so with the intention of turning around the fortunes of the franchise. He accomplished that goal.
The deeply religious California native is only 22 years old. There’s a ton of football ahead of him.
“I trusted God that he put me on the right team, with the right coaches, with the right players,” Stroud said. “All in all, it seems like that was true.”
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to Sports Talk 790.
Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images