Time was working out on the Houston Texans after they made a telling alternative.
Trailing New England, 28-16, and with solely 4 minutes to make up the distinction of their NFL divisional spherical playoff sport Sunday in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the Texans confronted a fourth down deep in their very own half of the sector. They wanted to achieve 18 yards to maintain their drive, and any hopes of their season, alive.
Somewhat than go for the fourth down, nonetheless, Houston coach DeMeco Ryans opted to punt the ball again to New England. Changing beneath such circumstances would have been tough for any offense, after all. However the determination was illustrative of the boldness, or lack thereof, Houston had in its offense.
The Texans turned a darkish horse Tremendous Bowl candidate and received their wild card-round postseason sport final week due to their remarkably stingy protection. They’re going residence, after finally dropping to the Patriots, as a result of an offense led by quarterback C.J. Stroud may by no means come near complementing it.
Stroud threw 4 interceptions towards New England, all throughout a brutal first half that turned the title of his backup, Davis Mills, right into a trending subject on X. Ryans later mentioned he by no means thought-about benching Stroud for Mills, including, “C.J. is our man.”
“I simply really feel unhealthy,” Stroud mentioned. “I actually really feel like I let my teammates down.”
After New England scored a landing on its second drive to steer, 7-0, the Patriots failed to attain on their subsequent 4 possessions. However Houston couldn’t take benefit. By the point New England put collectively one other landing drive, deep within the second quarter, the Texans had thrown three interceptions — certainly one of which was returned for a landing — and trailed, 21-10.
By committing three of its personal turnovers, New England allowed Houston a number of alternatives to get again into the sport. However the Texans’ offense regularly received in its personal means. Stroud accomplished simply 20 of his 47 passes.
With the win, New England advances to subsequent week’s AFC championship sport at Denver.
Houston was “doing nice, you already know, our protection getting stops, and I am simply being careless with the soccer,” Stroud mentioned. “I gotta get that fastened.”
Stroud’s turnover-strewn efficiency got here one week after he was intercepted as soon as and misplaced two fumbles towards Pittsburgh in Houston’s playoff opener. Houston survived these miscues as a result of its protection turned the primary since 1940 to attain a number of defensive touchdowns with out giving up an offensive landing, per ESPN analysis.
That superlative protection had stored the Texans in each sport this season en path to a 12-5 report, with their largest margin of defeat simply eight factors. The Texans allowed the league’s second-fewest factors and its fewest first downs, and, regardless of blitzing at one of many NFL’s lowest charges, they racked up the league’s seventh-most sacks. Solely Chicago and Jacksonville pressured extra turnovers.
The protection was so scary-good that Texans security Jalen Pitre declared after a late-season sport that: “God is the best. The Texans’ protection might be second.”
In the meantime, their offensive counterparts contributed simply sufficient to win; seven of Houston’s 12 wins got here in one-score video games. It helped Ryans turn into solely the fifth coach in NFL historical past to win a playoff sport in every of his first three seasons. However every season ended within the divisional spherical by at the very least double digits.
If the Texans are ever to take one other step ahead within the playoffs, they might want to diagnose what has led to Stroud’s regression since his excellent rookie season in 2023, when he threw 23 landing passes and 5 interceptions, with a passer ranking of 100. He threw for 3 touchdowns in his playoff debut — however he has by no means thrown for a number of touchdowns in a postseason sport in 5 tries since.
Stroud was sacked 52 instances in 2024, his second season, and misplaced key receivers all through the season, as properly, as he threw 20 landing passes and 12 interceptions. This season, nonetheless, he was sacked at a far decrease price than ever earlier than but nonetheless ranked seventeenth in passing ranking, simply above the league common.
Houston ran extra performs and threw for 193 yards to New England’s 143 Sunday however struggled to run the ball; a fumble by a working again led to Houston’s fifth turnover of the day. Most critically, lacking injured prime receiver Nico Collins, the Texans transformed simply certainly one of their 4 journeys into the purple zone into factors.
It was a script that Stroud acknowledged was typical of Houston’s complete season.
“This yr, I imply, point-blank, we simply didn’t put factors on the scoreboard,” he mentioned. “Our protection received stops all yr, received turnovers, you already know, put us in nice place. And I didn’t put us in place, you already know, to get us the wins by scoring factors — seven [points], not three.
“In order that’s form of how I have a look at it, and that’s what it’s. I imply, I take full duty. I’m the chief of the offense, and, you already know, lots of the issues are on me to get it completed.”
