The Houston Texans ended their season with a bitter feeling after being eliminated in the NFL Divisional Round by the New England Patriots, falling just short of a Super Bowl appearance behind quarterback C.J. Stroud. The franchise’s general manager later addressed the situation and evaluated both the campaign and the young signal-caller’s development.
General manager Nick Caserio reflected on the 2025 season during an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, where he reiterated his confidence in Stroud and praised the quarterback for helping keep the Texans competitive throughout the year despite inconsistencies on offense.
“I think the big thing about DeMeco, we believe in our players, and you want to instill confidence in them, understanding there’s going to be some ups and downs that you’re going to have to endure. Every player goes through that. CJ went through that during the course of the season, and that game was a microcosm of some of the things early in the year, but it’s going to happen,” Caserio said.
“So how do you bounce back? How do you handle those things? And hopefully you learn from them. And then you get to the offseason, what are some things that you can correct? So that’s where the focus was going to be. But he’s played a lot of good football for us for three years now, and we were excited for where we were heading into year four.”
Stroud’s performance vs the Patriots
Stroud was unable to overcome the challenges presented by the Patriots’ defense in the AFC Divisional Round. He completed just 20 of 47 pass attempts for 212 yards with one touchdown and multiple interceptions, struggling to find rhythm against constant pressure.
It marked another disappointing offensive showing for the Texans. The team demonstrated Super Bowl potential on the defensive side of the ball throughout the season, but the offense failed to deliver the same level of consistency when it mattered most.
Across 14 NFL regular-season games in 2025, Stroud completed 273 passes for 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, while adding 209 rushing yards and one score on 48 carries. In the postseason, he finished with 462 passing yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions, numbers that reflected both promise and volatility.
The Texans entered the offseason with several questions to answer. The organization not only looked to address roster needs through the draft and free agency, but also faced important decisions regarding key players and the coaching staff as they aimed to take the next step toward true contention.