The Houston Texans were eliminated from the playoffs after suffering a 28-16 Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots. It was an incredibly ugly game for quarterback CJ Stroud, as he turned the ball over four times, all in the first half. After the contest, head coach DeMeco Ryans reveals the message he shared with Stroud after the disaster of a performance.
Ryans, who is 41 years old, claims he never once considered benching Stroud in favor of Davis Mills on Sunday, according to Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle. He also stated that he believes in and supports the third-year pro and thought Stroud would turn things around in the second half.
“DeMeco Ryans said he never considered benching CJ Stroud after the 4 INts. He added he believes in his QB and fully believed [he] would turn it around.”
Additionally, Ryans informed the 24-year-old quarterback to remain positive after the loss, per Alexander. He seemingly made sure to focus on the positives when it came to Stroud immediately after Sunday's game.
“DeMeco Ryans said he told CJ Stroud: ‘Keep your head up, I love you.'”
Stroud's performance against the Patriots might be the worst of his career. He finished the contest with 212 passing yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions while completing 42.5% of his pass attempts. The former first-round pick was also sacked three times.
With the Texans' season now over, the franchise will move on to the offseason and focus on what moves and acquisitions need to be made. Considering the defense was ranked No. 1 in the league this season, one would think most of the areas of need would be on the offensive side of the ball.
