Jan. 18, 2026, 7:03 p.m. CT
There needs to be a serious conversation on the Houston Texans‘ future entering the offseason.
C.J. Stroud threw four first-half interceptions, while the Houston Texans totaled five turnovers as the New England Patriots punched their ticket to the AFC Conference Championship appearance for the first time in the post-Tom Brady era.
The Texans fall to 0-7 all-time in the divisional round and 0-3 against the Patriots in the postseason.
Drake Maye wasn’t perfect, but he made the clutch throws at the right time. The second-year MVP candidate finished 16 of 27 for 179 yards and three touchdowns. He also had an interception and fumbled four times, losing two in cold conditions, with one coming in the red zone.
Maye put the nail in the coffin with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte in the fourth quarter, who got behind All-Pro Derek Stingley Jr. to make a diving one-handed reception, extending the lead back to 11.
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Stroud, who now faces scrutiny entering a potential contract year, finished 20 of 47 with a TD pass, a 10-yard strike to Christian Kirk in the second quarter. With his four picks, the former No. 2 overall pick became the first player with five or more interceptions and five or more fumbles in a postseason.
Let’s grade the performance of every position group in the divisional round as the Texans hit the offseason and begin to regroup for 2026.
I truly thought last week would be the worst game of C.J. Stroud’s career in a Texans uniform. Instead, he needed six days to make a wild-card round win look like an elite outing. His four interceptions in the first half were a career high,and the pick-six by Marcus Jones was inexcusable.
Yes, the Texans were down their two best weapons, but that’s not an excuse for missing wide-open targets or forcing balls in tight windows. Stroud will have to live with this performance, accepting that while not all was his fault, over half the reason Houston resides on his shoulders.
Stroud finished the game, completing less than 50 percent of his passes and only finding the end zone once. He finishes the postseason with seven turnovers and two touchdowns. And as for contract extension talks? All those talks came to an end with the second interception by Carlton Davis just outside the red zone.
Stroud deserves a majority of the blame, but the Texans never could establish a ground game. Houston finished with 48 yards on 22 carries. Anyone want to do the math? That’s less than 2.5 yards per carry. You’re not winning football in the snow if you can’t even try to run the ball.
The longest run of the afternoon came in the third quarter behind a pickup of 10 yards from Stroud. No other run ent for over seven yards.
It’s clear that the Texans missed Nico Collins. Christian Kirk found his way into the end zone on a 10-yard gain, but he never found his way back into the passing attack afterward. Xavier Hutchinson dropped a first-down conversion, which led to an interception. He also dropped a fourth-down pass that would have set up Houston inside the 15 yard line.
Rookie Jayden Higgins led all receivers with 59 yards receiving and six catches, so at least he can walk away feeling good about his status as a No. 2 option entering Year 2.
Losing Dalton Schultz might have proved his value to the Texans entering a contract year. After securing a game-long 42-yard pass in the first quarter, the veteran tight end left with a calf injury and was ruled out before halftime.
Harrison Bryant and Cade Stover each dropped several passes and struggled in pass protection. Stover also left the game after Stroud missed him for an easy conversion.
Yes, Stroud stunk, but he had almost no time to throw. The only thing worse than the pass protection was the run blocking, which has been a problem all season. Stroud was just 2 of 16 when pressured, and threw three of his four interceptions when under durress.
Tytus Howard should be a guard. Playing him at right tackle will cost the Texans not only games but also years of Stroud’s life.
It’s a travesty that this performance from the tenches was wasted by an anemic offensive outing. Danielle Hunter had two sacks, while Will Anderson Jr. had three and two forced fumbles. Tommy Togiai forced a fumble on Drake Maye that was recovered by Azeez Al-Shaair, while Sheldon Rankins added two pressures.
Maye won’t draw as much criticism since he walked away a winner, but the Texans’ defense made him pay, especially the front four.
Henry To’oTo’o and Al-Shaair both played well against the run, limiting Rhamondre Stevenson and TreyVeon Henderson to under 90 total yards. In coverage, they gave up a few catches, but neither allowed a touchdown. Overall, it was exactly what you’d want to see from the Texans’ second level of defense in a must-win game.
Eventually, the dam was destined to break. That happened when Derek Stingley Jr. lost the battle to Kayshone Boutte for an impressive one-handed touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. Outside of that, it was a pretty clean day for the back end of the defense.
Kamari Lassiter had four pass breakups. Stingley had three. Calen Bullock allowed a touchdown on the second drive of the game, but he was mere inches away from turning a 28-yard score into a fourth-down stop. Jalen Pitre was exceptional against the run, totaling four tackles for loss. Outside of a pass interference call against Stingley, there really wasn’t much to be said about the overall play.
Maye made several great throws. There’s nothing Houston’s defense could do to stop it.
Ka’imi Fairbairn made all three of his field goal attempts, including two from outside the 50. That was the one constant, as per usual with the regular season.
Never was there a sense of urgency for change up from the offense. Even with Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke calling a solid game plan in the first half, the offensive woes cost all good graces. Ryans said in the postgame presser than he never had a conversation about moving off of Stroud for Davis Mills, but why?
What if Stroud threw six picks? Would he have stayed out there and only hurt his confidence and the offense? But the most bizarre call came when Ryans elected not to go for it on fourth down while trailing by 11.
If that’s not waving the white flag, nothing ever will be that.