Will Texans bench C.J. Stroud? Why turnover-filled first half has fans calling for Davis Mills

The Houston Texans have found plenty of success in the NFL playoffs so far, but strangely, it's been in spite of their young star quarterback.

While DeMeco Ryans' defense caused plenty of issues for the Pittsburgh Steelers over Wild Card Weekend, then forced two fumbles in the first half of the divisional round against the New England Patriots, the Texans' offense has largely struggled. Particularly, C.J. Stroud hasn't been able to take care of the ball.

Against the Steelers, Stroud had one interception and five fumbles, two of which were lost. On Sunday, those turnover issues were evident once again — in the first half against the Patriots alone, Stroud threw four interceptions. 

Stroud's struggles have been consistent enough to potentially push Ryans to make a change at quarterback, before it's too late for the Texans to save their season.

Will Stroud be benched? Here's why Houston could make a switch to Davis Mills.

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Will Texans bench C.J. Stroud?

For now, there haven't been any indications that Stroud will be benched before the end of Sunday's playoff matchup. But that could quickly change.

Stroud has certainly earned some leeway with the Texans in his young NFL career so far. The former No. 2 overall pick has led the team to the playoffs in all three of his seasons in the league, throwing for a total of 62 touchdowns and 25 interceptions in the regular season. With Stroud, Houston has become an annual AFC playoff threat.

However, Stroud simply hasn't looked like himself since the Texans reached the postseason. Against the Steelers in the Wild Card round, his three turnovers weren't much of an issue; Houston won the game in a 30-6 blowout anyway thanks to its defense.

On Sunday in the AFC Divisional Round, however, Stroud's turnovers were directly leading to his team's struggles. His four first-half interceptions allowed the Patriots to build a two-score lead by halftime.

While Davis Mills isn't quite regarded as an elite backup, he could settle into a game better than Stroud at this point. Mills has starting experience for Houston, including three games in the past regular season and 15 games in the 2022 season. Turnovers have historically been an issue for Mills as well — he has 26 career interceptions with 29 starts — but anything might be better for the Texans than Stroud giving the ball away.

MORE: Full Texans WR depth chart with Nico Collins injury

C.J. Stroud stats vs. Patriots

While Stroud did throw a touchdown pass to Christian Kirk in Sunday's game, he had a miserable performance otherwise in the first half.

Here's a look at Stroud's numbers against New England so far.

• Completions/Attempts: 10/26
• Passing Yards: 124
• AVG: 6.2
• Passing TDs: 1
• Interceptions: 4
• Rating: 27.2
• Carries: 1
• Rushing Yards: 1
• Rushing TDs: 0

Texans QB depth chart

Outside of Stroud, Mills is the de-facto QB2 in Houston. He has starting experience, has been with the franchise for years, and has at least flashed high-end talent at points of his career. In the regular season, Mills had five passing touchdowns over six game appearances.

Graham Mertz, a sixth-round rookie out of Florida, holds the third-string role for the Texans. He has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL game. In his collegiate career, Mertz threw for over 9,000 yards; he'd step in as the Texans' emergency quarterback if needed.

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