CJ Stroud became the fourth quarterback in history to throw fourth interceptions during the first half of an NFL playoff game on Sunday against the New England Patriots. His catastrophic decline over the last two seasons can be traced back to one very specific moment in September of 2024.
It has been all downhill ever since he tried to “little bro” Caleb Williams.
The 2023 Rookie of the Year has not been the same since his first season in the NFL. Although some of the first-half picks on Sunday were not his fault, Stroud cannot stop throwing the ball to the wrong team.
CJ Stroud fell off.
There was a lot of chatter about CJ Stroud when the Houston Texans drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He immediately proved all of the haters wrong.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound signal-caller led the Texans to their first playoff appearance in four years with 4,108 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns and only five interceptions.
Stroud completed the same percentage of passes in 2024 and once again reached the Divisional Round of the playoffs but his interception total increased by 240%. The turnover problem continued into 2025.
Houston’s defensive was able to shut down the Pittsburgh Steelers during the Wild Card Round of the playoffs last weekend but Stroud fumbled five times (lost two) and threw an interception.
Pure hesitation from CJ Stroud leads to an errant interception. Three turnovers today: pic.twitter.com/JyGbdzbeDM
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) January 13, 2026
Sunday was just as bad, if not worse.
Stroud threw four interceptions during the first half of the AFC Divisional Round Game in Foxboro. He, Carson Palmer, Ben Rothlisberger and Trevor Lawrence are the only NFL quarterbacks to throw four picks in a single half of a playoff game.
The first interception was a horrible throw on a clear miscommunication.
.@Carlton_Lowkey comes down with the pick 🍪
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 18, 2026
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/PNzb7vAbqM
The second interception went the other way for six. The third interception should’ve been caught by the Texans wide receiver but it was a high throw and tipped off of his hands.
PICKS ON BACK-TO-BACK DRIVES@_CraigWoodson | #NEPats
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 18, 2026
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/YncyzeXgLi
And then there was this:
2X @Carlton_Lowkey 🔁
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 18, 2026
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/gpBsIuS5t2
Certainly not what you are looking for from your franchise quarterback during the postseason. Not great.
Caleb Williams curse?
As I mentioned earlier, CJ Stroud was on fire as a rookie. Every throw was better than the one before. He hardly threw any interceptions. The offense went through him.
That was still the case during the first two games of 2024. Stroud threw for 494 combined yards for three touchdowns without an interception during back-to-back wins over the Colts and Bears.
This is where it all went downhill in terms of turnovers.
Stroud spoke with Caleb Williams on the field after the win over Chicago on Sept. 15, 2024. The second-year NFL quarterback tried to offer the rookie some advice.
“Good job out there bro. Keep going. Hey, stop taking those hits. Learn from those mistakes and everything that you got, bro, is in you already, bro. You going to be a hell of a player in this league.”
Williams very clearly was not having it.
The internet ran wild with the awkward exchange. Stroud later explained that he was not trying to “little bro” Williams and wished him the best— but it was too late. The narrative was already written.
CJ Stroud caught the turnover bug with two interceptions against the Minnesota Vikings that next week. Meanwhile, look at Caleb Williams. Coincidence? You tell me!