One of the defining traits of Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud's rookie season was his historic level of ball security that was demonstrated throughout the campaign. He finished 2023 completing 319 of 499 pass attempts (63.9%) for 4,108 yards (eighth-best), 23 touchdowns and only five interceptions. That's roughly 820 yards passing per interception, as well as a 4.6 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio.

He also set an NFL record for most pass attempts by a rookie without an interception to start a career with 191. That showed that Stroud could spin the ball with high volumes of success while also making sure to protect the pigskin from harm better than anyone in the NFL at the time. 

He parlayed that into an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, and many championed that season as the "greatest rookie season of all time". 

The calendar then flipped to 2024, and with that also flipped Stroud's ability to keep the football away from defenders. 

It was completely understandable to see some kind of regression to the mean when it came to Stroud's near-perfect rookie play. Except, Stroud showed some troubling signs along the way that resulted in many wondering whether or not 2023's performance was actually a fluke.

Stroud's encore season saw him complete 336 of 552 pass attempts (63.2%) for 3,727 yards (15th-best), 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Stroud threw for 381 yards and three scores less than the year before, while also more than doubling his turnover mark (only quarterbacks Geno Smith (15), Baker Mayfield (16) and Kirk Cousins (16) had more.)

Stroud looked like the epitome of quality control when it came to playing an elite, yet safe, brand of professional football in the modern era. Unfortunately, a more uncertain sophomore season helped to put a little dent in the armor of good will that surrounded Stroud after year one. 

No big deal, Stroud still guided his team to back-to-back AFC South Championships and Divisional round berths. Though he lost in the round both times, Stroud's overall reputation for dependability was still intact. 

That was until 2025 happened, and all positive perception of Stroud came crashing down through the floor (along with Houston's chance at their first Super Bowl in franchise history). 

This year, Stroud completed 273 of 423 pass attempts (64.5%) for 3,041 yards (19th-best), 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. One could look at the eight interceptions and question how reducing your turnover count by four would constitute as "crashing through the floor"? 

The regular season wasn't the problem. It was the two AFC playoff games afterwards that has completely changed the narrative on Stroud's trustworthiness from the pocket (that's local and national). 

After totaling five interceptions in all of 2023, 12 in 2024 and now eight in 2025, Stroud found a way to accelerate the process into a two-game sample size that led to arguably the worst back-to-back games played in NFL postseason history. 

In the AFC Wildcard round against the Steelers, Stroud fumbled the ball five times (two lost) while throwing a goal line interception. Then, against the New England Patriots in the Divisional round, Stroud follows up that three-turnover performance with four interceptions in only the first half of play. 

That made seven turnovers in only two contests, contributing to one of the sharpest turnarounds in fan-favorability in recent sports memory. 

Even Stroud himself pointed it out yesterday afternoon to the media in his final press conference of the season. According to Cole Thompson of the "Texans Wire", Stroud gave his thoughts on areas he thought were uncharacteristic of him:

“I think the turnovers, I haven't really been prone to turnovers in my career, especially the timely turnovers where, as I told y'all before, I've been on some great teams my whole career where a lot of them were offense-driven".

He then said, "So, this year was a step for me where I didn't have to be Superman all the time and I'm still growing in that". 

With his playoff miscues, the Texans missed out on a Super Bowl run for the 24th year in a row, and are now 0-7 in the AFC Divisional round. While teammate injuries and weather conditions definitely were a factor, even Stroud himself would say that him handing out late Christmas gifts to opponents didn't help matters at all. 

Do you think Stroud can bounce back and protect the football like once before? Let us know in the comments section below and by mentioning us at @Texans_RTB on X and @Texans.Roundtable on TikTok!