The Houston Texans’ season may have ended short of the ultimate goal, but if there’s one thing that’s been made clear in the weeks since their Divisional Round exit, it’s this: the locker room isn’t flinching when it comes to CJ Stroud.
Yes, the loss to the Patriots was a gut punch. Four first-half interceptions from Stroud derailed what many believed was the Texans’ best shot at finally breaking through to the AFC Championship Game.
And yes, when a quarterback struggles on that kind of stage, the spotlight gets hot-fast. But what’s been louder than the criticism in Houston is the unwavering support from inside the building.
Wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson became the latest voice to back his quarterback, and his message was as clear as it was confident: this team believes in CJ Stroud, and they’re not backing down from that belief.
“You gotta take your lumps before you can get your wins,” Hutchinson said. “I believe in this organization.
I believe in this team, the coaching staff. We will get over the hump one day.
And I feel like it’ll be rather sooner rather than later.”
That’s not just a teammate talking. That’s a player who’s been in the trenches, who understands what it takes to build something real in this league.
And make no mistake-Houston is building something. But they’ve hit the same wall three years in a row: the Divisional Round.
It’s become a frustrating pattern for a franchise still chasing its first appearance in the AFC title game.
This year’s loss stung more than most. The Patriots, while talented, weren’t exactly juggernauts.
Their regular season schedule was soft, and many saw the Texans as the more complete team. But football isn’t played on paper, and when the lights were brightest, Houston came up short again.
Now the clock is ticking. The Texans’ roster is young, talented, and, for the moment, affordable.
But that window won’t stay open forever. As contracts come due and cap space tightens, the margin for error shrinks.
That’s why Hutchinson’s “sooner rather than later” comment hits home. The urgency is real.
Still, if the defense-which has quietly become one of the league’s best-can stay mostly intact, Houston should remain in the mix. But let’s be honest: their Super Bowl ceiling lives and dies with CJ Stroud.
That’s just the reality of today’s NFL. You go as far as your quarterback takes you.
And despite the rough playoff showing, Hutchinson isn’t wavering in his belief.
“It’s football. Of course, when you’re the quarterback, you’re gonna get singled out a lot of times,” he said.
“It’s rightfully or not rightfully fair. They love to build you up and then break you down.
So, it’s not all on him. It’s on us, too.
We’re gonna have Seven’s back. We’re gonna ride for him.”
That kind of support matters. Stroud’s teammates aren’t just giving lip service-they’re owning the loss as a collective.
And Hutchinson didn’t sugarcoat it: “It wasn’t the best game for a lot of us, man, but that’s just how the ball goes sometimes. He knows what he can do.
It’s all about us just playing ball and really just capitalizing on the opportunities that we got.”
Stroud is 24. He’s already shown flashes of elite-level play.
What he’s missing is postseason consistency. That’s not unusual for a young quarterback.
The question isn’t whether he’s talented enough-it’s whether he can grow from these playoff stumbles and turn them into stepping stones.
The Texans believe he can. And if they’re right, the “lumps” they’ve taken might just be the foundation for something bigger.