Instant reactions after Texans third consecutive Divisional Round loss

Tough losses necessitate tough questions. That’s exactly what I asked when I requested instant reactions and opinions on QB C.J. Stroud directly after Houston’s embarrassing loss to the Patriots in the Divisional Round.

What are your instant reactions to the Pats beat down of the Texans? What’s the outlook for Stroud and what needs to be addressed this offseason?

Note: the first four responses were all written before Houston announced they would be picking up C.J. Stroud’s fifth year option

Clayton A.:

After losing 41-28 in 2012 and 36-14 in 2016, the Texans continue the yearly tradition of falling to (insert opponent here)in the AFC Divisional round. This now makes it 0-3 all time between the Patriots and Texans in the playoffs (specifically, in this round). The defense performed valiantly for 19 weeks of NFL football, being the engine of a team that endured an 0-3 start, a new offensive coordinator, new offensive line, and new skill position players.

With that said, it truly is sad to arrive at the conclusion that the Texans are yet again a QB away from true Super Bowl contention. After an elite rookie seaon, Stroud has gotten every excuse in the book for why he’s yet to recapture his poise and proficiency from 2023. After seven turnovers combined against the Steelers and Patriots, Houston again finds itself with a very real quarterback problem.

I don’t know what the thinking is in the front office, but Stroud has lost virtually all equity in various corners of the fanbase.

VBallRetired:

I think you have to consider all options. The most likely option is punting an extension to next offseason but if a team offers a first round and a mid round pick they have to consider it. I personally don’t think he’s the dude for THIS team and this offense. Sure, they could fire Caley, but they are just going to run a ball control offense. He’s not THAT guy. I could see him succeeding in a more wide open offense, but that’s never going to happen in Houston.

Of course, then you get the question of which QB to start. There’s really not any in the draft after Mendoza and even he might not be worthy of number one overall. I readily admit that’s a problem in this scenario. They would either roll with Davis Mills or look for a journeyman veteran to get you through. This is why I think they ultimately kick the can down the road. I personally have seen enough of Stroud to conclude he’s not THE guy. Paying him $50+ million would set this franchise back years.

FizzyJoe:

Really heartbreaking loss overall, as I believe this was the best Texans team to make the Divisional Round of the DeMeco Ryans/C.J. Stroud era, and maybe, just maybe the best Texans team ever. I know it’s hard to look at them like that after last night, but this defense was historically good at all three levels.

The offense, despite relying heavily on rookie left tackle Aireontay Ersery, three new free agent starters (Jake Andrews, Ed Ingram, and Trent Brown), and a bevy of rookie skill position players, still came on strong in the final month of the season and looked capable of almost anything.

Last night, the quarterback that we were certain was the franchise leader just a couple months ago put everything in question…which is shocking. Even with how bad that sounded, I’m going to stick to my guns with Stroud and hope that these last two weeks were just an aberration for him, not the norm. I think he’ll be better next season with more time behind this offensive line and Houston addressing its biggest holes on offense.

An extension would’ve been nice to handle this year, but I would pick up Stroud’s fifth-year option and table extension talks to later this year. As for key positions that need addressed on offense I think: G, TE, RB, S, T – in that order. You can’t expect Trent Brown, as good as he was, to be a long term solution at RT, so I think Tytus Howard should move back there, and the Texans should embrace what they stubbornly ignored last year and either pay for a good LG or draft one. TE was also a position of need this year, especially after Schultz went down yesterday. Lastly, another good RB to compliment Woody Marks would be ideal, either through the draft or free agency. Houston wanted to be a smash mouth team this year and couldn’t do it, but with a better interior line, RBs, and TEs, they should be able to succeed. Also, pay the crap out of Ed Ingram.

L4Blitzer:

This one outright stings! Of all the Texans’ Divisional Round games, this seemed the most winnable. The defense was the best in franchise history. All the team had to do was avoid too many derps on offense. Oops. Sure Stroud will take most of the deserved blame, but he is not alone. Key drops by receivers like Hutchinson did not help, nor did struggles by the interior O-line.

The defense did well to keep Houston close, but even they had their failings. Injuries certainly had their impact, but you have to play with the players you have, especially this time of year.

This is going to be an intriguing offseason. Most of the key defenders are locked for one more year. There will be some cap gymnastics needed, and the squad will once again need to address the offensive line (especially the interior).

Yet, the biggest question is the one that we won’t know until next season: what is Stroud? Is he the franchise guy, a solid but not spectacular QB (Schaub 2.0), or is he on the path to David Carr 2.0; a QB that had flashes, but somehow was broken by Houston’s historic offensive struggles? Until then, we do the same thing we always do: Wait until next year.

Kenneth L.:

A third-straight exit in the quarterfinals establishes a baseline for performance, but sets the bar extremely high for 2026. Obviously, that game didn’t go how anyone expected it to go, and Stroud will have to face a reckoning for the poor performance. Not only Stroud, but this entire offense needs to evolve structurally, strategically, and mentally. Houston tried to square peg a round hole for 20+ weeks and it finally came to pass that it wasn’t going to work.

Houston has enough draft capital and enough actual capital to put the right pieces together to resolve its problems. My outlook is that 2026 is the most critical season in Houston Texans football since 2012. They must make an AFC Championship game or there will be a windfall.