C.J. Stroud produced one of the worst postseason performances against the New England Patriots. Shannon Sharpe and Ochocinco were having none of it. 

While talking on the Nightcap podcast, the former Broncos’ tight end went off on him, citing that Stroud should’ve learned from the mistakes against the Steelers:

"I would've thought he learned his lesson Monday night. He fumbled four times, they got two of them back. He got seven turnover in two games. C.J. has not been the same."

On the other side, Ochocinco was angry about the fact that the 24-year-old wasted the Texans’ defense’s hard work. He even deemed Stroud's performance “embarrassing.” 

“That was embarrassing. You got the best defence in NFL. You got away with it last week. And you watch the film, and think 'alright I understand the importance of this game, I can't put the ball in harms way. You survive the last game by the grace of god, you come into this game and you still.... come on man."

Houston’s quarterback threw four interceptions, one of which directly led to the Patriots’ touchdown. He threw for 212 passing yards and only scored one touchdown. Moreover, he got sacked three times in the game. This was the Texans’ third straight loss in the divisional playoffs. 

Will Anderson Jr. Stood Strong for C.J. Stroud 

C.J. Stroud became the first player in NFL history to record more than five interceptions and fumbles in the postseason. 

Despite that, the Pro-Bowler Will Anderson Jr. backed him up. In the postgame press conference, he revealed what he told him after suffering a 16-28 loss against the Patriots. 

“I still think you’re the best quarterback in the league. Hands down.” 

While this was a classy move by Anderson Jr. to support his teammate, Stroud’s numbers don’t support that claim. He has scored only 21 touchdowns for 3503 passing yards, including postseason, and threw 13 interceptions (5 in playoffs) and was sacked 29 times. 

Anderson Jr on the other side, had an incredible season. He was one of the reasons why the Texans boasted the No. 1 defense in the league. The 24-year-old recorded 38 solo tackles and 15.5 sacks this season. Unfortunately, he and the rest of the defense failed to carry the team to Super Bowl glory. 

Written by

Kalp Thaker

Edited by

Joyita Das