NFL fans were shocked by just how bad CJ Stroud played during the Houston Texans’ playoff loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Drake Maye and the Patriots advanced to next week’s AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos thanks to a 28-16 home win over the Texans.
But their hopes of reaching the Super Bowl were enhanced by the dismal display put on by Stroud on a bleak afternoon in Foxborough.
Towards the end of the forth quarter, the former No. 2 overall NFL draft pick had completed just 16 of his 37 passes and threw four interceptions. He threw for 178 yards and just one touchdown.
It was the latest in a poor run of playoff games for Stroud since he entered the NFL in 2023.
Under head coach DeMeco Ryans and with Stroud under center, the Texans have lost in the divisional round in each of the last three years. The franchise has never progressed past that round in its history.
NFL fans were stunned by just how bad CJ Stroud played during the Texans’ loss to the Patriots
The former No. 2 overall pick completed just 16 of his 37 passes and threw four interceptions
And fans were quick to put the blame on Stroud with his shocking quarterback performance. One commented: ‘CJ Stroud with one of the worst halves of playoff football you’ll ever seen.’
Another posted: ‘CJ Stroud is terrible. He’s been worse every year. This is one of the worst playoff games I’ve seen from a QB.’
A third wrote: ‘You have to take CJ Stroud out of the game at half time. I don’t see how you can’t. It’s the worst half of playoff football from a purported elite QB I have ever seen.’
‘Is CJ Stroud having the worst 2 game stretch in the playoffs ever?’, asked another.
Another frustrated viewer declared Stroud might be ‘the worst playoff QB I’ve ever watched.’
‘Josh Allen had the worst performance we’ve seen in this year’s playoffs and CJ Stroud said hold my beer,’ another quipped.
‘That was one of the worst halves of football I’ve seen from a QB in the playoffs for stroud,’ another posted
One user commented: ‘Stroud might be the worst QB in the league. He hid from the slander for a while because his defense is elite, but that time is over.’
The game’s other quarterback, Maye, threw three touchdown passes and Marcus Jones returned one of Stroud´s four interceptions for a score as the Patriots advanced to the AFC championship game for the first time in seven years.
The Patriots will make their 16th conference championship game appearance and first since their run to their sixth Super Bowl title under Bill Belichick in the 2018 season.
Maye finished 16 of 27 for 179 yards, but had an interception and fumbled four times, losing two in cold conditions in which snow and rain fell throughout the game. One of Maye´s fumbles set up Houston´s first touchdown.
The eight combined turnovers – Woody Marks also lost a fumble for Houston – were the most in a playoff game since 2015 when the Cardinals and Panthers combined for eight in the NFC championship game.
