C.J. Stroud Has Understanding Message for Texans Fans Who Booed Him

Stroud had a miserable Christmas night against the Baltimore Ravens.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) is sacked by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Chris Board (49) in the second half at NRG Stadium. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Houston Texans fans who spent their Christmas at NRG Stadium watching CJ. Stroud and the home team offense stumble during a 31-2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens were understandably frustrated by the holiday experience. Before apathy set in they let their emotions be known in the form of some boos. Which is not something Stroud heard much of during his breakout rookie year.

Texans fans are not pleased with that series and punt pic.twitter.com/GuDygNnIuT

— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) December 25, 2024

And it's tough to blame those booing. Stroud finished 17-for-31 with 185 yards and an interception. That doesn't tell the full story as several relatively easy passes flew wide of their intended target all night long and he just sort of looked lost out there.

Stroud was asked about the negative feedback during his postgame availability and offered a thoughtful answer.

“People are entitled to their opinions and they care about the game. Their emotions matter, so I understand,”he said. “This is not my first time and it probably won’t be my last. This is not something to internalize and point the finger at yourself but it is something that you can use to motivate you, to not want those moments anymore. I got plenty of football left in my career hopefully, God willing, and I know this is going to be a story I’ll tell one day that helps me in the long run. It’s part of life. You hit a lot of valleys and you have a lot of mountaintops. It’s a cliché, but there’s not sunny days if there aren’t days with rain. So, this is a rainy day, but at the end of the day, the sun will rise up tomorrow and we have another crack at this thing next week and keep rolling.”

That's solid perspective. Houston has dropped five of their last seven contests and are going in the wrong direction as the playoffs approach. Time is running out to turn things around but at least for Stroud's part, there doesn't seem to be an panic as he understands this is all part of a process.

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