C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans played a turnover-dominated first half in their Divisional Round matchup with the New England Patriots.
After Stroud made a questionable decision to throw the ball into coverage after being hit, which led to a Patriots pick-six, this former Super Bowl champion turned television analyst called out the Texans quarterback for the colossal mistake.
C.J. Stroud Called Out by Super Bowl Champion Following Pick-Six
Going into this matchup between the Texans and Patriots, defense was the leading topic of conversation. Many expected the Texans’ defense to dominate, as the unit came in with a defense impact score of 89.4 (B+), the second-highest in the NFL, behind only the Broncos, according to the PFSN NFL Defense Impact metrics.
However, the Patriots’ defense has been the superior unit through the first half after intercepting Stroud four times. The second interception of the four was a poor play where Stroud got him and threw a wobbler up for grabs into coverage.
Patriots cornerback and special team savant Marcus Jones was able to pick the ball out of the air and return it for six points.
CJ Stroud throws a pick six — colossal mistake: pic.twitter.com/vGKQYInnLR
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) January 18, 2026
The pick-six gave the Patriots a 14-10 lead and was widely deemed across social media a colossal mistake by Stroud. Following the play, as it was making rounds on social media, Ryan Clark posted on X to voice his opinion on the error by the Texans quarterback.
“You can’t do that CJ!! You just can’t. Let the play die sometimes.” Clark posted to his X account.
You can’t do that CJ!! You just can’t. Let the play die sometimes.
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) January 18, 2026
Clark, who won a Super Bowl with the Steelers in 2008-09, was critical of Stroud’s mistake that gave the Patriots the lead. The quarterback’s struggles did not stop there, as he would go on to throw two more interceptions before the half had concluded. The Texans went into the half in a hole, down by a score of 21-10, in need of a comeback to save their season.
The Patriots’ defense was far from anything to overlook over the course of the regular season. According to the PFSN NFL Defense Impact metrics, the Patriots have a score of 78.2 (C+), ranking 12th in the NFL.
The winner of this matchup will face the Broncos, the AFC’s number one seed. Could turnovers be as much of a factor as they have been in this game between the Texans and Patriots?
The Patriots lead the Texans in large part because of that colossal mistake by Stroud, but turnovers have dictated the flow and the advantage in this game and will undoubtedly play a significant role in the upcoming AFC Championship game.
