C.J. Stroud experienced a difficult first half during the Houston Texans' divisional round playoff game against the New England Patriots, which they ultimately lost 28-16. Stroud threw four interceptions in the initial 30 minutes, completing 10 of 26 passes for 124 yards and one touchdown. These turnovers contributed to the Texans trailing 21-10 at halftime, with three of the interceptions occurring after Houston had taken a 10-7 lead.
Stroud's four first-half interceptions are tied for the most by a quarterback in a playoff game since Jake Delhomme threw five in 2008. This performance also made him the only quarterback in the last 35 seasons to record four or more interceptions and 15 or more incompletions in a first half of a game, regular season or playoffs. This turnover-prone outing followed a wild-card win where Stroud had five fumbles (two lost) and an interception, making him the first quarterback since at least 1991 to have five fumbles and five interceptions in a single postseason.
Despite the struggles, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans chose not to bench Stroud for the second half, expressing confidence in his quarterback to improve. Stroud did not throw any more interceptions after halftime and finished the game with 20 completions on 47 attempts for 212 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions. The Texans' struggles with turnovers continued in the second half, however, with running back Woody Marks fumbling the ball, marking the team's fifth turnover of the game.
On the Patriots' side, quarterback Drake Maye also had a challenging game, losing two of his four fumbles and throwing an interception on a Hail Mary attempt. Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. had a strong defensive performance with three sacks and two forced fumbles. The article also notes the all-time playoff interception record held by Brett Favre with six interceptions in a single game.