With the New England Patriots breathing down their necks in the AFC Divisional matchup, Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman called out Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud for his disappointing performance on the biggest stage. Stroud caught Aikman’s eye after the Texans’ QB1 dropped back to pass under pressure, and his pass floated dangerously into the air. Jones held on to the ball and zoomed the other way to complete a pick-6 and give the Patriots a 14-10 lead at the 10:31 mark in the second quarter.

Reacting to this turnover, Troy Aikman ripped into CJ Stroud by highlighting his reaction after being under pressure.

“C.J. Stroud, you just can’t simply throw a ball up like that, hoping that somebody on your team comes down with the football. Just a terrible decision on his part,” Aikman said.

However, this wasn’t it for CJ Stroud, as the New England defense held him to 10-for-26 passing for 124 yards, forcing him to throw four interceptions in the first half alone. This disappointing start ensured the Texans could never catch up against the Patriots as they had to settle for a 28-16 loss, which ended up their seventh consecutive defeat in the divisional round. Further, Stroud also became the first player with five or more interceptions and five or more fumbles in a single postseason.

After this performance, the Texans’ head coach DeMeco Ryans issued a message of support for Stroud.

“Keep your head up, I love you,” he told reporters when asked what he said to the struggling quarterback after the game. “I have your back, this whole team has your back.”

Ryans further expressed his backing for his QB1 when he asked about whether he pondered the possibility of benching Stroud after his disastrous first half.

DeMeco Ryans on possibly benching CJ Stroud against New England

Houston Texans head coach told reporters after Sunday’s 28-16 loss against the New England Patriots that he never considered benching C.J. Stroud in favor of Davis Mills despite four first-half interceptions.

“C.J. is our guy,” he said. “I believed that he could come back out in the second half and flip it. I believed that he could play better. And he did that in the second half; he did play better. We had some positive drives in the second half. I believed that he would do that, and he did that. As I always tell our guys at halftime, it doesn’t matter what happened in the first half. You have to flush it, remove it, and you just have to go out and finish the right way.”

As the season ends on a disappointing note for the Texans, DeMeco Ryans and Co. will have some key decisions to make as they shift their focus towards the 2026 season.

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