C.J. Stroud implies Texans are pointing fingers, not buying in

Generally, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said the team was “embarrassed” on Thursday night. More specifically, he implicitly suggested a couple of things that the Texans might be doing, or not doing, that are contributing to the situation.

“I would say we just got to honestly play football better, execute better, stop pointing fingers and realize that at the end of the day this is not winning football,” Stroud told reporters after the 21-13 loss. “We can’t keep squeezing our way by every game, we are a really good football team, we have a lot of really good players. Once we buy into the systems and what is being coached, and also we have to have leadership to take over. I believe this isn’t the end, but it’s definitely a great wakeup call for us to tighten up the ship. This is now playoff football, it’s November-December, this is the chunk of our schedule, a lot of great teams we are playing on prime time and we got to be able to find ways to win.”

When he says they need to stop pointing fingers, it means that they are. When it says they need to buy into the systems, it means they aren’t.

That’s ultimately on the coaching staff, but the players have a role in policing themselves. Stroud said it publicly last night. With a game against the Lions looming, it becomes critical for the Texans to address those issues privately.