Houston's elite defense was ultimately undone by poor quarterback play. Texans believe C.J. Stroud can take next step. He needs to.

Stroud threw four interceptions against New England as the Texans crashed out of the playoffs in the divisional round, 28–16. All four of his picks came before halftime, and despite not turning the ball over as much in the second half, Houston only managed six points in the final two quarters, and none in the fourth.

The Houston Texans' 2025 season ended Sunday evening, in large part, because of their five turnovers, including four from C.J. Stroud.

C.J. Stroud's four first-half interceptions handed New England a 28-16 victory over Houston, securing the Patriots a spot in the AFC championship game.

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud entered this year’s NFL playoffs regarded as one of the better signal-callers left playing in the chase for the Super Bowl. One of his strongest qualities? Taking care of the ball.

First of all, it's important to note that what happened to C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans on Sunday in the divisional round wasn't because receiver Nico Collins was out with a concussion. This season,

It was a downright terrible day for C.J. Stroud. The Houston Texans quarterback looked lost throughout his team's 28-16 loss to the New England Patriots, and tossed four interceptions in the losing effort. Stroud was erratic with the ball for the bulk of the game and completed just 45.4% of his passes and finished with a 28.0 passer rating.

Stroud struggled without key playmakers on the field. But a brutal combination of waning accuracy and off-schedule timing doomed the Texans.

Third-year defensive end Will Anderson Jr. was outstanding once again, recording three of the sacks on Maye and two forced fumbles—becoming just the fourth player in postseason history to record that kind of stat-line. Despite Stroud’s turnovers playing a significant part in the Texans’ loss, Anderson stood by his quarterback after the game.