Texans Veteran Had Honest Take on C.J. Stroud's Game vs. Patriots

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had far from an exemplary game in his playoff defeat against the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round, but his teammates certainly aren't holding that one game against him heading into this offseason.

In fact, there's at least one player on the Texans' offense who feels as if they might've cost Houston the results of their playoff outing more than their quarterback did, and that's veteran tight end Dalton Schultz.

Schultz, who left in the middle of the Texans' action against the Patriots with a calf injury and didn't return, felt as if his preparation and readiness for that game weren’t held up on his part. Rather than shouldering any blame on his quarterback, he's become his own biggest critic.

“The results of that game, it’s hard to pin it all on him [Stroud], as a player," Schultz said via SportsRadio 610, "In my eyes, that game was my fault. I left the game in the first quarter. It was a big game plan for me, and I wasn’t able to be out there. My process was exactly the same that I've done all year, every year. And I look back, and I'm like, 'Well, shoot. Obviously, I didn't do enough to get my body where it needed to be in that moment."

"That’s literally all I’ve been thinking about. And everybody’s going to pin it on C.J. It’s not his fault.”

Dalton Schultz Feels Responsible for Texans' Playoff Loss

It's hard to pin the entire results of the game on one player in all reality, whether it be Stroud or Schultz. But individually, Schultz feels as if he had truly gotten his body right for the moment he and the Texans were in. The results could've panned out differently.

Instead, the day turned out to be a bit of a nightmare for the Texans. While the defense held up their end for a majority of the contest, the offensive side of the ball was discombobulated from start to finish, had to lean on a pass-catching group without their top-two targets, and the freezing weather implications in Gillette Stadium combined with the snowfall certainly didn't help Houston's case.e.

That, inevitably, led Houston coming up short 16-28, and now back to the drawing board this offseason to try and put the pieces together for a deeper run in the playoffs for next season.

Jan 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz (86) reacts after a catch against the Indianapolis Colts during the first half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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However, Schultz's focus will inevitably now turn to how he himself can get better and more prepared for next season, rather than pointing fingers around the room as to why the Texans came up short.

Now rehabbing from said calf injury he sustained in Foxboro, expect him to be back and better for the 2026 campaign once the time comes, and motivated to have an even more productive season than he did this past year in H-Town as the team's second-leading pass-catcher.

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