"It was a hideous afternoon for Stroud in the Texans' 28-16 loss. His first quarter was whatever: Houston's first two drives of the game resulted in a three-and-out and a field goal, respectively, and his first interception was a bad throw, but New England cornerback Carlton Davis III made a great play on the ball and kept his knee in bounds. Besides, that turnover felt less costly when Patriots QB Drake Maye lost a fumble two plays into the subsequent drive."
"If Stroud just takes the sack on this play-action pass on first down, the Texans drive still might have stalled out. Maybe it would have ended in a punt. But he wouldn't have thrown an absolutely atrocious ball waiting to be snagged by cornerback Marcus Jones, who ran it back 26 yards for a pick-six. That gave the Patriots a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the night, and Stroud still wasn't done throwing picks."
"Four plays later, a deflected pass ended up in the hands of Pats safety Craig Woodson. Then there was a Texans three-and-out where Stroud failed to complete a pass. Then the Patriots scored another touchdown-on offense this time-and Stroud threw his fourth pick, and there was sincere conversation about whether backup QB Davis Mills should step in for the second half."
C.J. Stroud began the game with mixed results but quickly deteriorated into multiple turnovers that swung momentum to New England. Early miscues included a bad interception and a sequence where a Patriots fumble briefly offset Houston's turnover. A poorly thrown play-action pass led to a Marcus Jones pick-six that put the Patriots ahead. A deflected pass became another interception, and a later sequence produced a fourth pick before halftime. Stroud appeared jumpy and uncomfortable amid defensive coverages, the loud crowd, and wintry conditions. The Texans' offense stalled repeatedly and the Patriots maintained the lead to win 28-16.
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