Up next for Texans after playoff win: Ravens or Chiefs in road divisional game Saturday 3:30 p.m. ‘One week at a time’

HOUSTON – After the Texans dominated the Cleveland Browns in a 45-14 AFC wild-card round playoff victory that marks the first postseason win in franchise history in four years, they advance to the AFC divisional round.

Their next opponent won’t be known until Monday evening.

That sets up a road playoff game against either the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens or the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday at 3:30 pm. to be televised on ESPN/ABC.

Under NFL rules, the Ravens have to face the lowest remaining seeded team next week. The Texans are the fourth seed.

If the Buffalo Bills beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday afternoon, after weather in New York postponed kickoff, the Texans would travel to play the Ravens and star quarterback Lamar Jackson at M&T Bank Stadium in a rematch of their season-opening loss to them.

Should the seventh-seeded Steelers beat the second-seeded Bills, the Texans would travel to Arrowhead Stadium to face the third-seeded and defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs who are led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

For now, the Texans know this:

They’re in the divisional round for the fifth time in franchise history and first time since 2019 when they lost to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

They are the fourth team in NFL history to win a playoff game with a rookie head coach and a rookie starting quarterback, joining the 1945 Rams, the 2008 Ravens and the 2009 New York Jets.

And they scored the most points in a playoff game in franchise history and tied for the third-most points the Texans have scored in a game in franchise history and the most they’ve scored since a Nov. 30, 2014 win over the Tennessee Titans.

“One week at a time,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “”Our team was confident. We were confident coming in. You have to be confident in these moments. We’re not shying away from that. We’re a confident team.

“We believe in each other. We know we have a special group of men in this locker room, and that’s what it’s all about. It’s one game at a time. Continue to go out, don’t make the moment bigger than what it is. Go out and execute, play relentless football, and we’ll be exactly where we want to be.”

The Texans recorded a pair of pick-six touchdowns off interceptions by cornerback Steven Nelson and linebacker Christian Harris off Joe Flacco passes.

And rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 16 of 21 passes for 274 yards, three touchdowns and a 157.2 passer rating that’s the highest by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. At 22 years and 102 days, Stroud is the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game, topping Michael Vick. And he joined Sammy Baugh, Brock Purdy and Dak Prescott as the only rookie quarterbacks to throw for at least 250 yards and three touchdowns in a single playoff game. He’s the second-youngest quarterback to throw a 75-yard touchdown, joining former Bills quarterback Daryl Lamonica in 1963.

“We’re blessed, our team is special,” Ryans said. “For C.J. to have the game he had, unbelievable performance by a rookie. It’s just outstanding by everybody. So proud of our guys in the locker room. I knew they were ready on Tuesday. They were focused. They were locked in, and they went out and put the work in.

“Cleveland’s a really good team. We had a tough matchup, and our guys fought, fought, fought, made plays we needed to make to win the game. Really just thankful, grateful for everybody in the locker room, and what an outstanding performance by our guys.”

The Texans, following a 3-13-1 season last season under Lovie Smith, are now a playoff winning franchise again after the return of Ryans, a former Pro Bowl linebacker, and the arrival of Stroud, the second overall pick from Ohio State.

“The thing that was said in the locker room was we’re here,” Ryans said. “We talk about our moment. We talk about opportunity. Now the biggest thing is what do you do with it? It was all about just going out and just finishing, continuing to execute, continuing to finish, and that’s what we did.

“We knew in the playoff game it can flip at halftime. If guys stay locked in and stay focused, and that’s what we did. That’s what I love about our team. Everybody was focused. Everybody was calm. We executed the proper way.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.