CJ Stroud was completely in over his head during Sunday’s divisional playoff game.
The Houston Texans quarterback Stroud produced one of the most nightmarish playoff halves of all-time against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Stroud fired not one, not two, not three, but four interceptions within the first 28 minutes of the contest.
He got picked off in the first quarter by Carlton Davis III, threw a pick-six to Marcus Jones in the second quarter, fired another interception to Craig Woodson on the very next drive of the second quarter, and then finally got picked by Davis again with two minutes remaining in the first half.
Stroud’s pick-six to Jones was particularly awful as he made an ill-advised decision while under heavy pressure to float a jump ball back towards the line of scrimmage.
MARCUS JONES PICK-6!
— NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2026
HOUvsNE on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/kHL1V0kHCn
Predictably, Stroud got torched online for his complete port-a-potty of a half. Here were some of the most savage memes at Stroud’s expense.
CJ Stroud right now pic.twitter.com/0Xb1VF51fG
— NFL Memes (@NFLMemes) January 18, 2026
CJ STROUD DROPS BACK TO PASS pic.twitter.com/lhcD7OdmJ8
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) January 18, 2026
“CJ, we have the best defense in the league…we need you to literally just hand it off every play and we win the game.”
— Tyler (@I_AM_WILDCAT) January 18, 2026
CJ Stroud – pic.twitter.com/X6PDClk1yq
C.J. Stroud trying to take care of the football: pic.twitter.com/skFl7mlfrr
— Monkey Tilt (@MonkeyTilt) January 18, 2026
CJ Stroud when he gets pressured pic.twitter.com/n6dcmudM6V
— Simpsons NFL (@TheSimpsonsNFL) January 18, 2026
While Houston’s defense still managed to keep the game within strking distance by forcing New England QB Drake Maye into an interception and multiple fumbles, Stroud clearly did not pull his weight during Sunday’s game. After a standout 2023 rookie season in which he was named a Pro Bowler, Stroud has seemingly gotten progressively worse ever since then and recently even admitted to losing a step in a bizarre moment.
