Even after his Houston Texans fell 36-31 to the Buffalo Bills, dropping a game where C.J. Stroud put up 274 yards and two touchdowns for a 106.7 passer rating, Head Coach DeMeco Ryans doubled down: Stroud played well enough for them to win. Yeah, you read that right. Ryans isn’t pointing the finger at his QB’s crucial late-game errors, but rather at his own “vaunted defense” that got absolutely gashed.
Stroud’s Mixed Bag: Brilliant Flashes and Costly Errors
Listen, Stroud played some ball. That 106.7 passer rating, those 274 yards, those two scores? That’s what you want from your guy. He was “very much in control the entire game,” according to Ryans, making “great decisions with the football.” The coach even said he was “proud of the way he played today,” showing “confidence, that growth,” and putting the team “in a great position to win the game.” Sounds great, right? Except the Texans lost. Why? Stroud lost two fumbles on strip sacks by Greg Rousseau. Two! And one of those came when the Texans had first-and-goal at the Buffalo 9 with just 25 seconds left. That’s a brutal way to end a potentially game-winning drive.
The Defense That Couldn’t Stop a Cold
Here’s the kicker: Ryans isn’t letting those fumbles overshadow Stroud’s performance. Instead, he’s throwing his defense under the bus. And honestly, for good reason. His “vaunted defense” gave up a staggering 409 yards! That included 334 passing yards from Josh Allen alone. Ryans didn’t mince words, saying, “Offense put up way more points than needed for us to win this game. Could’ve definitely played much better defensively.” It’s a tough pill to swallow when your offense puts up 31 points and your defense can’t seal the deal.
The Final Drive Collapse
The game literally came down to the wire. Texans, first-and-goal, Buffalo’s 9-yard line, 25 seconds left on the clock. This is where legends are made, or games are thrown away. Stroud got sacked by Deone Walker for a 9-yard loss. An incompletion followed. And then, Greg Rousseau struck again with *another* strip-sack of Stroud, ending any hope. It’s a brutal ending, made even more complicated by Ryans’ post-game comments. His quarterback was “very calm, great demeanor” he said, but those two lost fumbles were “unfortunate.” While Ryans wants to brush off those crucial turnovers, the big question remains: can a team truly win when its defense gives up 409 yards and its QB coughs up the ball twice in crunch time? It’s a messy start to the season for the Texans, and Ryans’ words set a clear tone for where the blame lies.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
Leave a Reply