For C.J. Stroud, it happened again.

“Yeah, man. It’s tough. It’s hard to go out there like that,” said Stroud to me and other reporters Sunday in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, suddenly his football house of horrors, but only from a team perspective.

As a player, here’s all you need to know about Stroud: He’s the extraordinary rookie quarterback for the Houston Texans.

How extraordinary?

Not only did the Texans make Stroud (a two-time finalist candidate for the Heisman Trophy from Ohio State) the No. 2 pick overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, but they showed as much with their wallets.

In addition to Stroud enticing Texans officials this summer to give him a four-year contract worth $36.3 million that included a $23.38 million signing bonus, he inspired them to spend even more this fall to protect him during games.

They shelled out another $118 million in guaranteed money for their offensive line.

Among those getting richer by a bunch for the Texans was Laremy Tunsel, who received an NFL-offensive lineman record $75 million over three years to protect Stroud’s backside. Those pass protectors and blockers kept their guy healthy and vibrant with zero sacks during their game against the Falcons.

Even so, Stroud stood there before the rest of us, mostly stunned after he watched his apparent game-winning touchdown drive earlier for his Texans inside the final two minutes evolve into a 21-19 loss when the Falcons’ Younghoe Koo nailed a 37-yard field goal during the dying seconds.

Exactly nine months and eight days earlier, Stroud cringed inside that same Mercedes-Benz Stadium when the University of Georgia kept his Ohio State Buckeyes from reacing the finals of the College Football Playoff championship game.

Noah Ruggles’ 50-yard attempt for an Ohio State-winning field goal sailed wide left at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Then came Sunday.

“I’ve done bad in this stadium two times now,” Stroud said, “and I don’t think it’s fun, but it it what it is.”

Here’s what it mostly is: Without Stroud, Ohio State never gets that close against Georgia. He completed 23 of 34 passes for 348 yards, four touchdowns and no turnovers. He also rushed 12 times for 34 yards.

Here’s also what it mostly is: Without Stroud, the Texans never get that close against the Falcons. He faced an NFL top ten defense, but he still did enough against what usually is a rookie-killing mixture of zone and man-to-man coverages to complete 20 of 35 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown.

Stroud also didn’t throw an interception. Then again, what else is new? Somewhere against the Falcons, he set the league record for most pass attempts without an interception to begin a career.

He has 186 throws overall.

Dak Prescott held the previous mark in 2016 at 176.

“It's cool. I got close a couple of times. Those DBs are really good,” Stroud told us regarding his near interceptions against the Falcons. "It's important to take care of the football. I don't think I've put it in harm's way too many times. I just want to let our offense know and let my coach know they can trust me with the football, because turning the ball over is a recipe to lose.”

The Texans placed victory on their menu after Game 3 when Stroud shredded the Jacksonville Jaguars for 280 yards and two touchdowns. He finished that evening as the only quarterback ever to have at least 900 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and no interceptions after three career starts, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Such things happen when you’re C.J. Stroud, and you just turned 22 last week, and you’ve already had the likes of Tom Brady, Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott and Tua Tagovailoa whispering in your ear.

Stroud summed up his interactions with those celebrated NFL quarterbacks with his favorite words: “It’s cool.”

Then Stroud elaborated some more, adding, “It’s special. Those guys are special football players, and I know my path might be different than theirs. I’ve talked to Tom. I’ve talked to multiple great quarterbacks. Tua was an aid to me in our joint practices. Gave me a lot of great feedback, and I talked to Dak in high school, and he gave me a lot of positive things.”

Whether any of them gave Stroud their most important advice of all regarding his career isn’t known.

That advice?

As much as possible, Stroud should avoid Atlanta in general and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in particular.