It was a difficult season for Stroud, who was under constant pressure behind a leaky offensive line. To describe the top five as competitive would be an accurate statement, and their lack of consistent protection has had a noticeable impact on Stroud’s performance in 2024. The Texans hit rock bottom on Wednesday, getting into Baltimore’s red zone just twice and turning it over on downs both times.

2024 was significantly worse for Stroud than his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign in 2023. Even his accuracy – Stroud’s greatest strength – suffered in Wednesday’s loss, prompting reporters to question the differences between ’23 and ’24 to ask.

“Tell me. You know, I mean, I think I tried to approach the game the same way I did, and I think I see it better than ever. Just a little loopy, so I’m not making any real plays,” Stroud said. “That’s a terrible excuse. But I just don’t make plays. That’s really the difference between last year and this year for me. Just didn’t make enough plays.”

“There are times when the plays need to be made and there are people that are open and I have to find a way to make the game work, do something that I’m capable of, you know, win a football game for us. “It’s really up to me to lead our team in those times when guys are open and ultimately it’s just up to me to make the plays.” That’s really my take on the difference between this year and last year that can be fixed.

The good news is that now is not the time to look closely at what needs to be fixed. Houston enters the postseason as AFC South champions. But Wednesday’s loss was undoubtedly troubling, especially with only a week left to play and the playoff field filled with teams of Baltimore’s caliber.

If the Texans want to avoid an ugly first-round exit, they will need to quickly correct the many things that went wrong on Wednesday.

“I think they come back full of energy and show that this is not who we are,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “At the end of the day, we are not what we are. That’s not what we represent, what we show on the field today. That’s not Texas football.”

“For someone to come back and recover from this, you have to check yourself and make sure you’re playing with top-notch execution and top-notch energy to make the plays that we need to make to win the game. Everything starts with a self-check and then we move on.”