Jan. 22, 2026, 1:42 p.m. ET
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky has apologized for comments that he made in the aftermath of the New England Patriots‘ 28-16 divisional playoff win over the Houston Texans.
The Patriots’ defense made life miserable for Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, who went 20-of-47 passing for 212 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. After the game, Orlovsky went on ESPN’s Get Up and claimed that the Texans would have won the game with 31 other quarterbacks.
That was a hard dig not only at Stroud but also at the Patriots’ defense. The unit hasn’t been getting much respect throughout the playoffs despite being a top-five defense.
“On Monday morning, after the Patriots-Texans game, I went on and said, ‘Houston wins that game with 31 other quarterbacks.’ I want to publicly apologize to C.J. Stroud. I crossed the line,” admitted Orlovsky. “I don’t ever want to do that. …I’ve been called out on it, accountability full stop, I shouldn’t have done it. …I don’t want to take away from New England’s defense as well. So, full stop, that wasn’t cool of me, and that was wrong of me. Different way for me to communicate that.”
The defense in New England is getting healthy and at the right time, and they are starting to show the same dominance they flashed earlier in the season.
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Even with backup Jarrett Stidham starting at quarterback against the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, the defensive unit is still being overlooked in favor of Sean Payton’s offensive genius. Speaking of Payton, he confidently predicted a Super Bowl trip for the Broncos after Sunday’s game.
Not that Patriots coach Mike Vrabel needed bulletin board material, but there is plenty to draw from heading into this matchup.
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