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C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans walks out prior to the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
There was arguably no other player in the NFL playoffs who caught more flak than Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.
It wasn’t for no reason. Despite being backed by one of the league’s top defenses, Houston lost to the eventual AFC champion New England Patriots off the back of Stroud’s four interceptions.
Despite a win in their wildcard matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Stroud still wasn’t careful with the football. He threw one interception and fumbled a whopping five times, losing two of them.
Even though Stroud has been in the crosshairs of Texans fans and NFL analysts alike, his teammates have come to his defense and made sure that people know that they have his back, regardless of the outside noise.
Dalton Schultz Defends C.J. Stroud
In an interview with NFL analyst Ross Tucker, Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz downplayed Stroud’s poor performance against the New England Patriots and insisted the whole team had a hand in the disappointing loss.
“That’s my guy…Everybody has a bad game. Everybody has a rough game in the office, and to be honest, not all that was on him. And everybody’s going to pin it on him. Because he’s a quarterback. And he understands that. We understand that,” Schultz told Tucker.
“But I think what’s important is realizing separate yourself from that as who you are. One game doesn’t define you. Good or bad. You know what I mean? It’s all going to fall on you regardless.”
It’s cool to see a teammate of Stroud stand up for his quarterback, despite the low-hanging fruit of his seven-turnover playoff run.
Stroud knows he could’ve played better, and he said as much in the days following the heartbreaking loss in New England.
“I look back, and I just feel like I let people down. I’m…not not happy with that, and you know, it hurts, and I’m not naive to it. I didn’t play my best this year, but I’m gonna respond. I’m gonna, you know, keep my chest up, my chin up high, and I’m gonna just keep battling for it,” Stroud said after some time to reflect.
“I look back and I feel like I let people down. … It hurts.”
–C.J. Stroud after the loss to the Patriots
What Will the Texans Do With C.J. Stroud?
Entering the 2026 offseason, the Houston Texans face a complicated path forward with Stroud. He still has two years of contractual control remaining, including his fifth-year option that is likely to be picked up.
But he’s also due for a contract extension, and other quarterbacks around his level have received monster extensions, such as Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
In 2025, Lawrence provided the Jaguars with an EPA/play of .09, ranking him the 13th-best quarterback in the league per Sumer Sports. He signed a contract extension in July 2024 worth up to $275 million over five years.
Stroud, on the other hand, was slightly better in the same statistic. He was ranked the 10th best quarterback in the league with an EPA/play of .11. Is he not on the same level as a quarterback like Lawrence?
It will be hard to justify handing Stroud a monster extension so soon after his rough playoff outing, but the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year still has a lot of potential left untouched, and the Texans should bet that their homegrown talent will be able to shake it off and use the doubt as motivation going forward.
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