Just as the football-watching world was ready to count C.J. Stroud out, the Texans’ sophomore quarterback reminded everyone what he’s capable of.

And now, on the heels of a 32-12 victory in the AFC wild-card round, he will have the chance to do it all over again next weekend in the divisional round.

“It hasn’t always been easy this year,” Stroud said. “But this is just another thing that we can use to motivate us even more.”

For much of 2024, his age-23 season, Stroud had flaunted wisdom and precision well beyond his years.

But his performance in the first half of Saturday’s eventual victory over the Chargers was an entirely different story. 

Entirely different, up until a point.

With just a shade over 6:30 remaining in the second quarter, just after Chargers’ punter JK Scott booted the pigskin all the way down to the Texans’ 1-yard-line, Stroud woke up.

The Texans’ ensuing drive — 13 plays and 99 yards in 5:17 — culminated with a 13-yard hook up between Stroud and his favorite target from the regular season, Nico Collins, and Houston putting their first points of the contest on the scoreboard.

The touchdown pass counted for six, but the highlight of the drive came a few minutes earlier when, facing a third-and-16 from his own 17-yard-line, Stroud found Xavier Hutchinson wide open 34 yards downfield. 

The coverage may have been lacking and the window may have been gaping, but it was a small miracle that Stroud, after fumbling the snap, had both the wherewithal and the composure to meet his receiver there. 

Los Angeles took over after the touchdown but promptly went three-and-out, so Stroud and company got the ball back with 39 seconds remaining in the half.

The Texans needed only 24. 

Stroud completed two passes for 13 yards and added another 27 on the ground to carry the Texans into field-goal range.

Ka’imi Fairbairn knocked through his attempt from 41 yards out, and the Texans took a 13-6 lead into halftime.

Stroud’s stat line from the first two quarters: 14-for-23 and 180 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The Texans added 19 points in quarters three and four — with six coming on a pick-six and two more from a blocked point-after-attempt returned all the way to the house.

Not counting Houstons’ first drive of the half, which was cut short due to a fumble by running back Joe Mixon, and their final drive of the game, when Stroud kneeled the clock to zero, the Texans scored on all but one of their second half drives.

By game’s end, the signal caller had completed 22-of-33 passes for a total of 282 yards.

Not too shabby given the total lack of confidence, concentration and all around deservedness to be there Stroud had exhibited through the games first 22 minutes and change.

“C.J. is authentic, he’s real,” Texans’ head coach DeMeco Ryans had said earlier in the week, according to the Associated Press. “It’s not only here, it’s in the locker room around the guys. And that’s what leadership is to me. As you evolve as a leader, you just be authentic to yourself.

“You don’t have to make up anything or make up a speech or make up something to say to guys. C.J. is being C.J.”

— with AP