Mike Vrabel had a clear order for Drake Maye and his New England Patriots players at halftime of the Divisional Round playoff against the Houston Texans: seize C.J. Stroud’s interceptions and get the job done.
“Take advantage of the turnovers,” Maye told the broadcast of the game before heading into the locker room when asked about his message for the players, letting his Patriots know that they must capitalize on the mistakes by Stroud and the Texans to finish the job in Foxborough.
Stroud got off to a nightmare start at Gillette Stadium, getting intercepted four times as his Texans went to the break trailing 10-21. And the difference could’ve been worse if it wasn’t for the outstanding Houston defense.
NFL world reacts to C.J. Stroud’s first half vs. Patriots
The reactions didn’t take long to emerge, with running back Joe Mixon dropping a six-word message on X as Stroud threw multiple interceptions in the blink of an eye. And of course, fans on social media didn’t waste a second to react either.
Stroud’s four interceptions in the first half led to hilarious memes, as the NFL community couldn’t believe how many possessions the Texans quarterback gave up. In fact, it led many to wonder who’s Stroud’s backup on the depth chart and whether the team should make a change at quarterback for the second half.