C.J. Stroud's TD pass to Nico Collins, Eric Murray's pick-six have Texans soaring

January 12, 2025 ndowd

DJ Bien-Aime, ESPNJan 11, 2025, 06:20 PM ET
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HOUSTON — The Texans‘ offense finally woke up as quarterback C.J. Stroud hit wideout Nico Collins for a touchdown to put the team up 7-6 over the Los Angeles Chargers in the second quarter Saturday in the wild-card opener of the playoffs.

YEAHHHHH 1️⃣2️⃣ 🙌

📺: @Nickelodeon and @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/xC0kXz1OKi

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 11, 2025

The Texans’ offense was dormant through the majority of the first half with Stroud throwing an interception and wideout John Metchie III losing a fumble. But with 6:15 remaining in the half, Stroud capped a 99-yard drive with the 13-yard touchdown.

It was the first touchdown of the afternoon by either team.

Stroud had two big plays on the drive, with one coming when he recovered a fumbled snap before rolling right and airing a dart to wideout Xavier Hutchinson for a 34-yard reception. Stroud also had a 34-yard pass to Collins that helped get the offense in the red zone before it finished in the end zone.

Kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn was able to extend the lead to 10-6 with a 41-yard field goal before the half ended.

Fairbairn tacked on another field goal in the third quarter before the Texans’ defense decided to get in on the fun when safety Eric Murray intercepted Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and returned it 38 yards to put the Texans up 20-6. That was the fourth defensive touchdown for Houston of this season including playoffs, tying the Seattle Seahawks for the second most in the NFL.