Texans 22, Broncos 17
Q. CJ, how would you describe the performance of Nico Collins today?
CJ STROUD: Amazing. Blessing to see your brother ball out like that. I know he puts in a lot of work throughout the week, and sit there and just be in awe of him and how he comes to work every day with a great attitude.
I'm just proud to see his work pay off, man. Blessed to be able to be in a position to feed him like that. He has definitely stepped up where we needed him to.
Q. CJ, good teams win games like this against good teams. What does this win says about y'all?
CJ STROUD: Shows our resilience again. We are going to fight the end and it's not always going to be perfect. No game is ever perfect. We definitely got to clean some things up, but I think we're taking steps in certain areas that we needed to, and got to just keep it going.
It's hard to win after Thanksgiving. It's playoff football. The tournament has already started, so got to keep it going and stack these wins.
Q. Tough loss with Tank's injury. Thoughts on it and how it affects everyone emotionally and the offense overall.
CJ STROUD: I'm at a loss for words, man. I honestly don't know what to say. Like you see like your brother put in so much work and be so helpful, and one thing about Tank, he's very unselfish. To see him go out -- the game of football is tough. It's tough. We fight our tails off every day to make people happy. We put our bodies on the line time and time again.
To see that happen, it's cold. It's not easy. I got to be there for him, so more so than anything, like forget football, Tank as a person, I know it's going to be tough for him to get out of that. Who knows, man, he might be back playing Super Bowl. Try to be positive about it.
But it's tough. I'm hurt. I can't sugarcoat it. Can't come up here and lie and say we'll be all right.
Nah, that's not -- I love him to death. I told him that. 7 and 3 will be a great duo for the next couple years, right when he gets back. Who knows, man, God works in mysterious ways. Might not be that bad of an injury. I don't really know.
I love my brother to death and I'm praying for him and I'm here for him no matter what.
Q. You led the team. After that, what did you -- I'm sure you all were shook up. What did you say to your teammates?
CJ STROUD: We kind of had a similar moment when J-Patt went down, and that hurt as well. J-Patt is another brother of mine. This rookie class, I don't know if ya'll know, but we're really close, like really, really close. All of us. We all have a similar mindset. We came in, we said we're going to change this team. We are building a foundation. The foundation is us.
Kind of similar situation when J-Patt, I feel like it's necessary when the mojo is down, like the praises go up. Even know it's hard to thank God in those situations you kind of have to. That's what being a man of God is, having that faith when nobody else does or hope when nobody else does.
It was good to see us as brothers kind of send our prayers. I always say send 1000 angels, and I send 1000 sand angels to Tank right now, with the blood of Jesus head to toe. It's tough, man.
Like nothing else I can really say. I don't know.
Q. CJ, I know this league is week to week. Knowing you guys are on a playoff push and you guys...
CJ STROUD: It's just let's clean up the issues, let's get better while we can before it's too late, and this game, we shot ourselves in the foot way too much.
Had some MAs and things like that and things on my part I got to be better. It don't have to be close, you know. Denver Broncos are a great team, but we had a lot of things going to push us forward and put them away. That's why they won five games straight, they don't go away.
Every NFL team is very special and has talented players, so we just got to get better and learn from our mistakes and keep going and just stay resilient. That's what we need at this point.
Q. Everybody around the league is talking about the performances you're having game after game after game. You've had some bad things happen today, but you just blow it off and go to the next play and then the good things happen. How have you matured so quickly to look like somebody that's been in the league three, four years already?
CJ STROUD: Thank you, I appreciate that. I feel like, I don't know, just like I have a mindset to where like I think God puts a sense of peace on me, and I feel like I put the work in in the week to understand like even if it does -- you got to look at it, it's the NFL. They're going to make plays too.
For me, it took me a while to adjust to that. In college we were better than everybody. It is what it was. Other than when played Penn State, Georgia, those last surge games, those are NFL type teams, too, players in college. In the league, that's every week. You're playing Georgia, everybody that's great.
Man, for me, I just feel like during the week I don't try to shortcut. I don't shortcut. Try to do everything that I do in my routine to get me back going. I had a lot of great counsel and advice in the off-season from players in basketball, football, baseball. A lot of people I got to meet, which is pretty cool that just, man, keep going no matter what. Don't blink.
For me it's been a blessing to be able to put games together. Even in something like this, like of course we want some plays back on every position, including myself. But at the same time, we got out with a dub, so it is what it is. Ya'll just keep going.
So I'm blessed to have that mindset to keep going and not let one play affect another as best I can.
Q. Seeing Derek Stingley make the plays he made today, what kind of goes through your mind?
CJ STROUD: He's special, man. That's one thing about Stingley, he's special and he's kicked a new gear since really I feel like that week he went down after Indy going to Jacksonville. He had a great week of practice and I remember like walking onto DeMeco like, man, Sting looks great. Sadly went down at practice.
But to see him catch that groove and see him work like he does, I'm just proud of that dude. I went to him the locker room, man, I'm proud of you, bro. No matter what is going on, no matter who got something -- it don't matter. You are who you are. You're in this position because God chose you.
I'm proud of that dude, man. He's going to continue to be great. When you have a corner that can lockdown one side, makes everybody else's job a lot easier. Proud of that dude and I know he's going to keep it going, so I'm proud of him.
Q. Can you tells us what happened there late when you had to leave the game for a couple plays and went into the tent?
CJ STROUD: Yeah, I took a little shot, you know, football. And I was fine. (They felt like I was out of it or whatever and took me out the game. Went to the tent as fast as I could, jumped over a bench, and right on the field.
So that's football. You got to be tough. I feel like I try to do my best to play through injury or play through whatever.
Everybody is hurt right now. Just keep going.
Q. Speaking of being tough, what was going on on that moment where the linebacker went through on the false start and you stood your ground with him?
CJ STROUD: I'm a man and I'm not going to let somebody come push me, especially in my house. You know, you're not going to just touch me after the whistle. You clearly hear it. I'm not mad at that dude. He played hard.
I ain't like it, and I got to control my composure. At the same time, I'm a man and like Juicy say, I'm standing on business.
But, no, I just appreciate my brothers having my back. That was one thing I look for. George was on it, everybody. But I got to be calm in that moment and have composure. I feel like I have throughout the year. Time and time again, I keep getting hit, keep getting my face mask pulled, all type of stuff. I'm not mad.
I guess I got to earn it because I'm a rookie. I don't get a lot of calls and I got to stand on business, and understand like, man, it's a fight for 60 minutes with me. You ain't going to come hit me and I'm going to tuck my tail. I'm not mad at that dude. Talked to him after the game and everything is all right.
Q. With those personal accolades that you receive, those awards, being able to beat a team like the Broncos, do you take the time to be able to take a step back and just acknowledge some of the things you're doing out there on the field? And with that being said, how instrumental does your family play into that, being able to help keep you on this path?
CJ STROUD: My man, Sarge. My dog. I mean, like I'm going to have to take a couple months to start looking back, dang, that was special or whatever. We in a grind right now, and I'm right there with DeMeco leading the surge to the playoffs.
It's already started, so I got to -- it's cool. I'm blessed to be able to be playing at a high level, and I want to keep that going. I really don't think I've touched my potential yet. I still have things I need to clean up every week.
But it's a blessing to be able to put some things together to get accolades in a league where it's all dogs, you know. To do it at such a young age, I'm blessed.
To answer your second question, to have the family I do to keep me humble, that's something that like for me, growing up, like my mama did not play. At all. About not being humble. I give ya'll a story.
I was probably like 12 and I was at an AAU tournament playing the Championship game. It was like going on overtime. From what I remember I had like 20 at that point. I was balling. I was feeling myself. And it was like I think a technical or something.
My teammate was shooting free throws and our parents and family were getting hyped. I seen all my teammates go like this, like they were hyping the crowd up.
She came over to the bench, and this is during like a timeout in overtime and she grabbed my jersey and hung me up. I don't know if I went to her or she came to me. During the timeout, boy come here or she came to me and grabbed my jersey, you stay humble no matter what. You do that again, I'm take you to the bathroom. (Laughter.)
So sorry, mom, I'm throwing you under the bus. That was a pivotal moment in my life to where like, man, no matter what -- sometimes I do it to get the crowd down or like -- I'm a groin adult now. I know to be humble. Even then I be thinking, ah, let me stop. My mama get on me.
My parents did a great job raising me as such, to be a humble young man and understand like how quick you get it is how quick it can be taken away.
So I'm blessed enough to have parents like I do and a family like I do. My sister text me after this game and told me she love me. That means the world, because at this point I'm not able to always be around, you know. Even like in college I'm 2000 Miles from home and I know it's hard on them. They love their little brother, love their son. My mama loves her son; she misses me. They hold me accountable and I'm doing it for them and God and people back home.
I'm blessed enough to be able to understand that and I'm blessed to have the family that I do. Appreciate you all. Love ya'll.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports