C.J. Stroud and Brock Purdy Headline Divisional Round Fantasy Losers
In this story:
Saturday's games featured mostly tranquil weather but Sunday was anything but. Snow and cold temperatures blanketed New England and Chicago. Chicago was the coldest of the two with wind chills around and below zero. There were forgettable performances regardless of the day and condition, however.
Finding the worst of the worst was not hard. Here are some of their stories.
C.J. Stroud -- Houston Texans
The first half was a total nightmare for C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. A 21-10 deficit felt like 35-10. Honestly, if not for the Texans' defense, it might have been. Stroud got picked off four times in the first 30 minutes on Sunday.
The New England pass defense was swarming all evening long. With wet snow falling from the start of the game and throughout, ball handling was far from ideal. Even Stroud watched several attempts slip out of his hand. He was fortunate enough not to have any fumbles but the Patriots narrowly missed adding to their interception total.
Stroud had 27 incompletions on Sunday. His 42.6 completion percentage was the worst of the eight quarterbacks in the Divisional Round. Matthew Stafford was the only other quarterback under 50%. Yes, it was an ugly way to see the Texans' winning streak end. Sometimes it is not your day and for Stroud, that was the case.
Brock Purdy -- San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy and San Francisco were able to gut out a win in Philadelphia last week. Seattle made sure that would not be the case on Saturday night. Purdy only attempted 27 passes, completed 15, and amassed 140 yards through the air. Without George Kittle and facing a feisty Seattle defense, Purdy had no answers in this divisional tilt.
Josh Allen has 4 turnovers.
— 8 ¢ 2x MVP (@RunLamarRun) January 19, 2026
Caleb Williams had 3 interceptions.
CJ Stroud had 4 interceptions.
Brock Purdy had 2 turnovers.
They all have 1 thing in common.
There were more damning numbers at the ready. Anyway, it was another game for Purdy having more turnovers than touchdowns. The San Francisco quarterback did run for 37 yards which led the 49ers in rushing. However, he did lose a fumble. Mike McCarthy defenses seem to stymie the 49ers and San Francisco looked very much like a wounded team.
San Francisco mounted a semblance of an offense in the second quarter but managed only two field goals. From there, things only got worse for Purdy and the 49ers.
Woody Marks -- Houston Texans
The Houston Texans never had Joe Mixon all season. Woody Marks filled in admirably and had some breakout moments. Sunday was not one of them. Marks only had 14 carries. That was not bad by itself. Unfortunately, the running back amassed a mere 17 yards on the ground. He did catch two passes for 19 yards but a fumble lost wiped out that gain.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- #Texans’ running game stonewalled by #Patriots’ stout defense: ‘Kind of let the team down’ Woody Marks held to 17 yards on 14 runs, lost key fumble @KPRC2 https://t.co/XXirW0Wxk9
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 19, 2026
Marks and the Texans will have their moments eventually. Sunday was a lesson that was taught in the cruelest form. That is the hard reality of football. Inevitably, winners and losers will litter the landscape fairly or unfairly.
New England shut down gaps quikcly and sometimes it appeared like they knew which running play was coming. The Patriots' defense showed why they were one of the top units all year and stole the headlines from the Texans. Woody Marks did not stand a chance.
