C.J. Stroud’s rough night in the Texans’ 28-16 Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots has raised some real concerns about his long-term outlook. The 24-year-old struggled to find any rhythm and finished with 20-of-47 passing while taking three sacks and throwing four interceptions. Following the underwhelming showing, Super Bowl 50 champion TJ Ward was openly critical of the Texans quarterback.

“The way CJ Stroud has been turning the ball over, man, it’s an infection.” TJ Ward said during the Up & Adams podcast with Adam Kay. “He has a virus right now. And it was back-to-back games. And I really would; I wouldn’t have put him in that second half. I would have gone with Davis.”

According to Ward, Stroud’s mistakes allowed the Patriots to build on a 21–10 lead by halftime, including a defensive touchdown by Marcus Jones that shifted the game’s momentum.

Ward went as far as to say that if he were the coach, he would have benched Stroud for the second half and played backup Davis Mills to try and stabilize the offense.

“If it were me and I were the head coach, I would have pulled him just to save him. Even CJ Stroud, I would have just saved him something. You know, going into next year, I just, like you said, said it was an infection, man. It’s here for a little bit, for a couple of weeks, and then it’ll go away. But I think by keeping him in, it just makes it a little worse on CJ Stroud, honestly.”

In the second half, Stroud managed to protect the ball from turnovers, but he was sacked three times and struggled to move the offense. The game effectively ended when his final fourth-down pass was knocked away from Xavier Hutchinson. It was a disappointing finish for the Texans, who still haven’t won a Divisional Round game since Stroud joined the team. Maybe with Mills, the results could have been different.

Speaking of which, the call for Davis Mills was grounded in recent history, as he successfully stepped in for three games during the regular season while C.J. Stroud was sidelined with a concussion. During that stretch, Mills led the Texans to a perfect 3–0 record, throwing for 719 yards and five touchdowns with only a single interception. 

Having been with the organization since 2021, Mills has accumulated 7,082 career passing yards and 40 touchdowns, establishing himself as a high-level depth piece. While the Texans still view C.J. Stroud as their franchise cornerstone, the playoff loss has amplified the conversation about whether a “steady hand” like Mills should have been used to navigate the storm.

Texans HC backs QB C.J. Stroud irrespective of four interceptions

C.J. Stroud’s playoff journey started with high hopes, but his recent performances have left fans questioning if he is truly the right quarterback for the Texans. By the end of the game, Stroud had completed only 20 of 47 passes for 212 yards, finishing with a career-high four interceptions and just one touchdown.

The Texans’ offense didn’t give him much help, as injuries plagued the team. They played without star receiver Nico Collins and lost two tight ends during the game, including Dalton Schultz. With a weakened lineup, the Patriots were able to shut down Houston’s running game and put constant pressure on the offensive line. 

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Despite these struggles and the high number of mistakes, head coach DeMeco Ryans refused to bench Stroud for backup Davis Mills. Ryans insisted that Stroud is the team’s leader and believed he had the talent to fix his mistakes in the second half.

“C.J.’s our guy,” Ryans said. “I believed that he could come back out in the second half and flip it.”

Unfortunately, this game was part of a worrying trend. Including the Wild Card round against Pittsburgh, where Stroud fumbled five times, he has now turned the ball over seven times in just two playoff games. This is one of the worst turnover streaks in postseason history. 

While C.J. Stroud was a star during his rookie year, his performance has dipped lately. After a rocky 2025 season and a stint on the sidelines with a concussion, some are pointing out that the Texans actually went 3-0 while Davis Mills was filling in, adding more pressure on Stroud to regain his form.