C.J. Stroud Thinks Texans Will Be More Prepared Against Chiefs In Divisional Round After Loss Less Than A Month Ago

Despite losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 27-19 less than a month ago, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is confident about his chances in the AFC Divisional Round. The second-year passer saw the regular season defeat as an opportunity to prepare against the defending Super Bowl champions.

“You definitely have to go back and see things that worked and things that didn’t work, and I think that definitely helps playing them so recently,” Stroud said. “But they also have that advantage as well, so we still have to be able to have a new game plan and do things that are new. It definitely does help to see a familiar team again and they do a lot of great things. We didn’t really see a whole bunch of it, I think there are some exotic things, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that stuff started to show up.”

In a weekend of exciting divisional matchups, including a highly anticipated game between the Ravens and Bills on the other side of the AFC, the Texans are one of the biggest underdogs remaining. The 15-2 Chiefs spent the entire 2024 season surgically dissecting opponents late in games. Patrick Mahomes is widely considered to be the best postseason quarterback in the NFL, chasing his fourth Super Bowl title. 

Whether they’d like to admit it or not, Kansas City’s aims extend far beyond the Texans. The team is operating on a dynastic scale, as Mahomes chases the likes of Tom Brady and Joe Montana. Even those titans fell short of winning three in a row.

Many agree that the Chiefs’ reign could end later this month against the winner of the Baltimore-Buffalo game. If they fall short, a few NFC rivals could still stop them in the Super Bowl. Very, very few expect the run to end against the Texans, whose aims don’t extend much further than the next four days. 

To advance this far, the Texans defeated the Chargers 32-12 in the Wild Card round, completely shutting down Los Angeles on defense and special teams. Running back Joe Mixon rushed 25 times for 108 yards and a touchdown. It was a win cemented by nailing down the finer points, which would again be integral to any upset chance over a team like Kansas City. But as Stroud said, he and the offense will have to bring more to the table to have any chance of contending this time around. 

Mahomes and the Chiefs are notorious for their bag of tricks. Stroud, on the other hand, has settled into a competent, level-headed role in his second season. The Chiefs’ defense and special teams are better than the Chargers. Mixon won’t have as much room to run. There’s a reason the first matchup between these two teams was so one-sided. The passing game will make the difference, and Stroud will have to dig deeper.

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