During the offseason, there was no shortage of hate, vitriol and utter ignorance hurled at Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud. After the team’s unceremonious exit from the 2025 NFL playoffs, many fans, commentators, and those in the know blamed Stroud for everything from losing the game against the New England Patriots to ruining the franchise forever.
As the old saying goes, the quarterback gets too much praise and too much shade.
There’s no real point in rehashing all the data-points that Stroud was far from the only reason Houston didn’t advance to the AFC Championship last year.
Still, it’s nice to look at his current season in 2026 and say a hearty “told you so” to all the haters who said he was annoying. Ha!
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OFFENSE: QB CJ STROUD, HOUSTON TEXANS
CJ Stroud’s stats are certainly elite so far in 2026. Not only has Stroud won over the naysayers, he’s won over the wider world of NFL talkers and casual fans alike, forcing himself into the MVP conversation this season.
Observing his highs and lows, we see:
a heightened understanding of what the defense is doing
some are really smooth misdirection (via pump fakes, head shaking and body aiming)
And more importantly, his response to adversity has increased, possibly because of Andre Johnson’s criticism of how he’s dealt with it in the past.
Heading into this weekend’s matchup with the seemingly resurgent New York Giants, history was not in Stroud’s favor.
The Texans are 1-5 against the G-Men all-time, losing their last 5 straight. However, they haven’t seen an NFC East team since November of 2022, a season we’d like to forget.
Giants QB JJ McCarthy, drafted as the savior of the Minnesota Vikings, put on a passing clinic last weekend. If Demeco Ryans can’t get this defense to stop running like a wet paper bag, McCarthy could have another career game this weekend.
However, the current Texans offense is far from the 2022 version. And Stroud will join Nico Collins, Jalin Noel, Marvin Harrison Jr., Kayshon Boutte and TANK DELL in action this weekend.
That’s right, almost 2 years later, lightning bolt in cleats receiver Tank Dell returned to the field this weekend.
And, as much as I’m not fond of Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley, he’s growing as both a coach and a play caller. If he thinks what many people think, Dell’s first game will see the speedster burst over the top of the defense, create distractions and open up opportunities for Collins, Harrison Jr. and to other receivers.
The Giants have a tighter passing defense (190 yards per game) than their rushing D (135.5 ypg) so far, but they haven’t seen Stroud and his healthy receiving targets. And, these stats are likely due to a less-than-steady passing attack from Big Blue until McCarthy caught fire last week.
A home game, with Stroud on a roll, a “Greatest Show on Turf – Texas Edition” passing attack and a stadium decked out in Battle Red? It has all the makings of another 300+ air yards affair for the good guys.
On to the opening question: Will the Giants turn on CJ Stroud? the answer is a resounding no.
Prediction: New York Giants vs Houston Texans
At the end of the day, JJ McCarthy is far from being CJ Stroud. Unfortunately, the Texans’ defense has relegated to the mean, meaning McCarthy will still have plenty of big-play opportunities. Ultimately, Houston’s wide receiving corps keeps their QB in the MVP talks.