M
uch of the topic of discussion since the New England Patriots ended the Houston Texans‘ season in embarrassing fashion during the divisional round has been about the play of Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The Patriots’ defense intercepted Stroud four times and held running back Woody Marks to 17 rushing yards on 14 carries in a stellar wire-to-wire performance.
Stroud spoke to reporters for the first time following the loss and was forced to address the national media’s calls for his job.
Although no answer would have been sufficient for Texans fans, the 24-year-old quarterback did himself no favors.
“I’ve been on some great teams my whole career. A lot of them were offensively driven,” Stroud said. “Then there’s this team, where we are more full everywhere. It’s offense, defense and special teams; and the defense is making a bunch of plays.
“So this year was a step for me, because, like, I didn’t have to be Superman all the time, and I’m still growing into that.”
Stroud is only in his third year since being drafted second overall by the Texans in 2022. Unfortunately, each season has been worse than the one before. He went from 4,108 passing yards as a rookie to 3,041 this year. He threw a career-high 23 touchdowns as a rookie, but followed it up with 20 and 19 the next two seasons.
But New England’s dominant defensive effort has sparked real conversations in the media about whether Stroud should be the starting quarterback for Houston going forward.
The Patriots’ defense turned Stroud over four times in the first half alone. Even Stroud himself was shocked by New England’s ability to capitalize on every misstep.
“Just the turnovers,” Stroud said. “I haven’t really been prone to turnovers in my career.”
C.J. Stroud Blames Poor Game On Texans’ Great Defense In Head-Scratching Quote