Has C.J. Stroud’s collapse vs. Patriots created a quarterback debate for the Houston Texans?

C.J. Stroud’s disastrous performance in the Texans' Divisional playoff loss to the New England Patriots has sparked real doubts about his long-term future on an otherwise loaded Houston roster.

The 24-year-old endured a horrendous showing, completing just 20 of his 47 pass attempts, was sacked three times and threw four interceptions.

Despite playing less carelessly in the second half, Stroud could never get the Texans' offense moving, relying on the legs of kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn for the six points Houston scored after the break.

Ultimately, he finished with a quarterback rating of 21.1, the second-worst outing of his 2025 season, and his four interceptions were the worst of his NFL career.

Stroud's troubles this weekend were nothing new: his underwhelming Wild Card performance against the Steelers led fans and pundits alike to call for backup Davis Mills to start vs. the Patriots.

After his latest nightmare game, those calls have only grown louder, with some now urging Houston to move on from Stroud for good. Here, we weigh the pros and cons of the Texans hitting reset at the most important position on the roster.

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The case for C.J. Stroud as the long-term starter

People may forget that this is only Stroud's third season in the league, and in all three years, he has taken the team to the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

In 2023, the second-overall pick won Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year, with 4,108 passing yards, a 63.9% completion rate and 23 touchdowns to only five interceptions. 

In doing so, Stroud became the fifth rookie quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards, and he set a new rookie record for passing yards in a single game after throwing for 470 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 5, 2023.

Despite a slightly less impressive sophomore year, the Texans finished 10-7 again, topping the AFC South for the second consecutive season and making their second trip to the playoffs after three years in NFL obscurity.

In that campaign, Stroud threw for 3,727 yards and a very similar completion rate of 63.2%, with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Ultimately, his 2024 season ended with a 27-19 Divisional Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, who sacked Stroud eight times.

However, the Ohio State alum threw for 245 yards, with a 67.9% completion rate, playing reasonably well in the face of constant pressure from a dominant Chiefs' defense. The main criticism levelled at Stroud in that game was his inability to convert in the end-zone.

Impressive though his regular-season play has been, the central question surrounding Stroud is his underwhelming postseason performances and lack of progression compared to other young signal-callers.

Should the Texans look elsewhere for QB help?

Whilst the Divisional Round playoff performance was extremely disappointing, the calls to replace Stroud are perhaps an overreaction, at least to Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans.

Some of the interceptions were avoidable, to say the least, but we must not overlook that the Texans had a weakened, reshuffled offensive line, which the Patriots took full advantage of.

In addition to that, Stroud was playing short-handed. His top target, wideout Nico Collins, was ruled out with injury before the game began, and tight end Dalton Schultz exited early with a calf injury.

The Texans' ground game offered little help. Tailback Woody Marks averaged just 1.2 yards per run and accounted for a fumble, too.

None of these points excuses a worryingly low 42.6% completion rate, but they do frame the argument a little differently.

Nevertheless, the argument being made is that Stroud ranked outside the top 20 in completion percentage and 25th in first-down completion rate this season, while posting his lowest passing total to date at 3,041 yards.

For some, those points, combined with his postseason capitulation, raise questions about whether the Texans should continue investing heavily in a quarterback whose statistical output has dipped since his rookie year.

Next season's dilemma 

Stroud and Mills are both signed through 2026, so the Texans may opt for an open competition between the two. But that merely pushes the problem down the road.

The alternative approaches are either unrealistic or don't offer Houston a much better option.

With only $13 million in projected cap space, the Texans aren’t in the running to sign one of the very few elite quarterbacks rumoured to be available in a trade.

That leaves the option of bringing in a similarly talented quarterback or starting over with a rookie. Neither approach truly solves the problem.

For a team with such a dominant defense and dynamic weapons on offense, getting this decision right could prove to be the difference between an early playoff exit in 2026 and going all the way.