Jan. 19, 2026, 1:55 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 Texans finished with 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.
“It’s something I can learn from, and it just sucks that it has to be in this game, in this environment, on this stage,” Stroud said after the game.
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 of them in cold conditions, including one in the red zone.
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Will Anderson Jr. proved his value for a new contract this offseason after recording three sacks while forcing two fumbles. He helped set up Houston deep inside New England territory to start the third quarter with a strip-sack on Maye.
But the offense literally fumbled away their opportunity to make it a one-score game. Woody Marks coughed up the ball on a Christian Gonzalez, leading to a scoring drive for the Patriots. Combined, the Texans and Patriots totaled eight turnovers, marking the most in a playoff game since 2015 when the Cardinals and Panthers combined for the same total in the NFC championship game.
“I didn’t play my best this year,” Stroud said postgame. “But I’m gonna respond, keep my chest up, my chin up high and I’m gonna just keep battling forward. If God is before me, who can be against me? I’m just gonna rely on that.”
Pro Football Focus handed out player grades for those who took a snap in Houston’s loss against the Patriots and we broke them down by offense and defense. Below are the five highest and lowest grades on the offensive side of the ball after a promising win, setting up another divisional round game for Houston in this regime.
There were a few surprises in terms of the highest- and lowest-graded players, both on offense and defense. In fact, most of you can already guess who graded out in stellar and horrendous fashion.
Here’s a look at the five best offensive players below from Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon:
Higgins was the lone bright spot on offense in the passing game after Dalton Schultz left in the first quarter with a calf injury. Of the 10 targets thrown his way, the second-round pick caught six of the seven catchable balls for 59 yards, including two for first downs. His 63 pass-catching grade ranked second, only behind Schultz, who caught one pass on two targets for a gain of 42.
There’s really nothing else to say about Stroud other than he made history for the wrong reasons. With his seven turnovers in the postseason, the once Offensive Rookie of the Year became the first player with five interceptions and five fumbles in a single postseason.
