Of all the great plays the three-point underdog Texans made in their 32-12 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in Saturday's AFC wild card playoff game at NRG Stadium, none was more important than quarterback C.J. Stroud's 34-yard completion to Xavier Hutchinson in the second quarter.
While the defense put on a dominating performance that included quarterback Justin Herbert throwing four interceptions – two by All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. – the offense struggled for most of the first half against a defense that allowed the fewest points in the NFL this season.
The Texans' first five series ended with a fumble, punt, punt, interception and another punt.
Fortunately for the Texans, the defense was outstanding, limiting Head Coach Jim Harbaugh's Chargers to a pair of Cameron Dicker field goals, despite a fumble by John Metchie III on the Texans' first play and a Stroud interception.
Then the Texans faced what appeared to be an impossible situation. JK Scott's 55-yard punt was downed at the Texans' 1-yard line with 6:15 left in the first half. After they got some room to breathe, left guard Tytus Howard was called for tripping, moving back the offense to the 12.
After Stroud threw a 5-yard pass to tight end Cade Stover, the Texans faced third-and-16 at their 17. At that point, Stroud authored one of the most magical plays in franchise history.
Jarrett Patterson's snap went through Stroud's hands for a fumble. Stroud turned to chase the ball, and it bounced into his hands. He ran to his right with three Chargers chasing him. At the last possible instant before going out of bounds, he launched a pass down the field, where Hutchinson caught it for a 34-yard gain at the Los Angeles 49.
"That's the play that sparked our entire team," Head Coach DeMeco Ryans said after the game. "That was the play of the game that really created momentum for our entire team.
"You see the fumbled snap, and I'm thinking, 'Please, pick the ball up.' And then we see C.J. improvise, keeping his eyes downfield and seeing Hutch. Having that confidence in himself and the ability to avoid the rush and still find Hutch, that was an outstanding play and an outstanding performance by C.J."
On that 14-play, 99-yard drive before a rambunctious crowd of 71,408, Stroud also completed passes to Nico Collins for 37 yards and a 13-yard touchdown that gave the Texans a 7-6 lead they never relinquished. To help the Texans overcome the poor start, Stroud completed 6-of-10 for 101 yards on that possession.
"We were sputtering along to start," Ryans said. "I just loved the way our team responded, our offense responded, how resilient they were. A lot of bad things happened. We fumbled the ball. Everybody just kept playing. Even though we put the ball on the ground several times, nobody panicked.
"With C.J. making that play, it sparked excitement for everyone. It sparked confidence in everyone. You see how he felt the need to make a play, and he did. That's what you call putting the team on your back.
"To see our sideline go crazy when he makes that scramble, I mean, you could feel it. You could feel the game shifting at that moment when he makes that scramble for the big play."
After Collins' touchdown, the defense forced a three-and-out, and the Texans got the ball back at their 32 with 27 seconds left. Stroud scrambled up the middle for a 27-yard gain, and Ka'imi Fairbairn finished the 45-yard drive with a 41-yard field goal for a 13-6 halftime advantage.
"When you needed it most, our offense stepped up and got something going," Ryans said. "That's what we want to see from our offense. We know there's been some inconsistencies, but to see everybody put it together when we need it most (shows) we can continue to ascend if we do things the proper way.
"That's what playoff football is all about. That's what it looks like when your best players make plays. That's what being a big-time player in the league is about."
Big-time players make big plays, and the Texans made a lot of big plays on offense, defense and special teams.
Stroud completed 22-of-33 (66.7 percent) for 282 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He averaged 8.5 yards per attempt and finished with a 90.7 rating.
According to NextGenStats, Stroud was 18-of-23 for 198 yards and a touchdown when he wasn't pressured and 4-of-10 for 84 yards and an interception when he was pressured. And 223 of his 282 yards came while throwing in-routes.
Stroud, who's the youngest starting quarterback in the playoffs, also ran six times for 42 yards, a 7-yard average. That's the second-most yards rushing he's had this season.
Collins caught seven passes for 122 yards (17.4 average) and a touchdown. He broke DeAndre Hopkins' playoff record of 118 yards set in 2019.
Running back Joe Mixon carried 25 times for 106 yards (4.2 average) and a touchdown. Mixon, who has eight 100-yard games this season, was a workhorse on the Texans' last scoring drive that included 13 consecutive runs after Stroud's 5-yard completion to Stover on first down.
Mixon carried 11 times for 58 yards on the drive, including a 17-yard touchdown against the best red zone defense in the league this season.
The Texans' offensive line of tackles Laremy Tunsil and Blake Fisher and guards Juice Scruggs and Tytus Howard and center Juice Scruggs did a terrific job. That Mixon touchdown drive was their most physical of the season. The linemen helped the Texans rush for 168 yards, including 4.9 a carry.
"For us to be able to buckle down when we needed it most, control the line of scrimmage and run the football like we needed to, that's what I'm proud of," Ryans said. "Our offensive line stepped up. Got hats in the right places. They were grinding.
"That's a tough defense and a tough front to run against, but we were persistent, and Joe did a really nice job making some plays. He wants the football, and he brings great energy every day.
"If you want to play well in the playoffs, you have to be able to run the football. Joe did a great job, but he doesn't do that without the way our guys block -- tight ends, receivers (and) the offensive line -- a collective effort that allowed us to run the wall the way we did."
The Texans are now 7-2 in the playoffs. After each of their seven victories, they've been eliminated on the road in the divisional round. If they continue to play defense the way they did against the Chargers, they'll be capable of beating just about anybody.
While they were preparing for the Chargers, Ryans said the game would come down to how the Texans' defensive line played against the Los Angeles offensive line, one of the NFL's best.
What the Texans' linemen – and the defense -- did to the Chargers was embarrassing for Harbaugh, who prides himself on being physical.
The Chargers came to Houston with a three-game winning streak and an 11-6 record in Harbaugh's first season. They allowed a league-low 17.7 points a game, committed only nine turnovers and surrendered 18 red zone touchdowns, fewest in the league. They outscored opponents by 101 points.
The Chargers were 6-3 on the road, and Herbert threw three interceptions, fewest in the league.
The Texans entered postseason with a 1-5 record against playoff teams, including five consecutive losses. They lost those games by an average of 11 points.
No wonder the Chargers were favored.
But what the Texans did best this season – recorded a team-record 49 sacks, pressured quarterbacks, produced 29 takeaways and 19 interceptions – carried over into Saturday's game.
The way the linemen harassed Herbert, pressuring him on 52 percent of his dropbacks, was so impressive. According to NextGenStats, Herbert was under pressure in 2.5 seconds or less on 11 pass attempts.
Herbert finished with 14-of-32 for 242 yards and a rating of 40.9. His best pass was an 86-yard touchdown to rookie receiver Ladd McConkey.
The Texans limited the Chargers to 261 yards, including 50 rushing and a 2.8-yard average per carry.
"Our defense dominated," Ryans said. "That's who we want to be. They played our brand of football. Talk about stopping the run first. Playoff football, first you have to stop the run. That's where our interior defensive linemen played great.
"I don't have to challenge those guys at all. They understand the moment. They understand like why we're built the way we're built. Our D-line has to dominate. When our D-line plays this way, not only does it help our defense, but it brings enthusiasm to our entire team. They understand that from the moment they sign up to play for the Texans. We're heavily dependent on our D-line, and they did an outstanding job."
J.K. Dobbins was the Chargers' leading rusher with 26 yards on nine carries, a 2.9 average.
"You stop the run, you force teams to have to throw the ball," Ryans said. "That's where our entire D-line cut it loose and got a lot of pressure on the quarterback.
"Across the board, those guys were rushing together (and were) disciplined with their rush lanes. Everybody did a good job keeping Herbert in the pocket, and we were able to get him down several times. You make teams one-dimensional, and that's when our D-line causes havoc."
Will Anderson had 1.5 sacks and knocked down Herbert three times. Mario Edwards had 1.5 sacks and two knockdowns. Denico Autry got the other sack.
Anderson had seven pressures, and Autry and Danielle Hunter had five each, according to NextGenStats.
"I'm very proud of our defensive line but more proud of our DBs," Ryans said. "Stingley's been outstanding all year. Steps up again for us today, gets two picks when we needed them most. He made outstanding plays."
Besides his two interceptions, Stingley had four tackles, broke up five passes and made a fourth-down tackle that kept the Chargers from possibly scoring.
Safety Eric Murray led the defense with seven tackles and had a pick-six. Cornerback Kamari Lassiter had an interception and didn't allow a completion.
"The way our DBs are playing opens up a lot defensively," Ryans said. "(Murray) with the touchdown. Kamari, you talk about a momentum shift, for him to pick the ball – an outstanding play by him."
The Texans also scored two points on a heads-up play by cornerback D'Angelo Ross. After McConkey scored the Chargers' only touchdown, Autry blocked Dicker's extra point. Dicker knocked down the ball when it ricocheted to him, but that's not a dead ball.
Ross picked up the ball and started running for the Chargers' end zone with a convoy of Texans protecting him. His two points made it 25-12 with 10:38 left in the game.
"That's the complementary football we've been looking for, just an outstanding performance in all three phases," Ryans said.
Then, looking back at the beginning of the game when the Texans fell behind, Ryans didn't want to think about what might have been.
"It's not about how you start, it's about how you finish, and we finished the right way," he said.
