CJ Stroud was completely out of control in the game against the New England Patriots, throwing four interceptions that turned him into the target of widespread memes and harsh reactions criticizing his poor play in such a crucial playoff game, all within the first half.
Jason Page weighed in on Stroud’s situation on X (@thebackpage): “I hate to make this kind of proclamation in the middle of a game, when there’s still plenty of time left. But you simply cannot win in the playoffs with someone like CJ Stroud making the kinds of decisions and throws he’s making.”
Not all of the backlash was directed solely at Stroud, who was throwing some glaringly poor passes against a Patriots defense that looked razor-sharp at home. Bobby Burack of OutKick used the Texans quarterback’s rough night to take aim at ESPN for what he viewed as embarrassing commentary.
“Ryan Clark is on TV right now saying CJ Stroud deserves a pass. To recap, Clark said Josh Allen has ‘no excuses,’ Lamar Jackson isn’t to blame because football is a team sport, and Stroud isn’t at fault because of injuries. Stroud and Clark share an agent, David Mulugheta. Shame on ESPN for allowing this guy to be part of playoff game coverage,” Burack wrote on X (@burackbobby_).
No mercy for Stroud after a brutal first half
Some of the backlash directed at Stroud even included calls for the Texans’ head coach to pull the quarterback and give Davis Mills a chance, pointing out that Mills had already helped steady the team when Stroud was injured earlier in the season.
“Now it’s on DeMeco Ryans. You have to go to Davis Mills at this point. You can’t allow your team to lose because you’re unwilling to pull the plug (for this game) on your franchise QB. It has to be Davis Mills in the second half. Otherwise, it’s not just a CJ Stroud problem,” Jason Page wrote on X.
