January 19, 2026 • 12 mins
Monday on The A-Team, Adam Clanton and Adam Wexler share critical takeaways from Houston's disappointing to the Patriots, and discuss what this loss means for CJ Stroud moving forward.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It is not a victory. Monday, Welcome into the A
Team post mortem edition Sports Talk seven to ninety. Wex
ac Josh Jordan with you on a Morgue edition of
the program after the Texans went up to New England.
I swear Wex twenty eight to sixteen felt like fifty
(00:22):
two to sixteen. And that's a testament to the Texans defense.
But a lot of layers to peel from this onion.
It wasn't particularly any other flavor other than bitter on
a day where you absolutely and Wex has said this
since the game on social media. Everybody who watched all season,
(00:42):
not just yesterday's game, knows it. You wasted one of
the best defenses in NFL history. And I don't even
think it's hyperbole to say that. I really do think
you could stack this Texans defense up against the all
time greats and you would at least have them in
the conversation. Might not be number one, but you would
not be laughed out of the building given what they
(01:03):
had done all season long, and honestly what they did yesterday,
but five turnovers on the road, you just can't overcome that,
not even with this defense. He had several against the
Pittsburgh Steelers. But that just wasn't enough yesterday. And that
was the crazy part, because as bad as CJ. Stroud
(01:24):
individually and the offense collectively played, when you got to halftime,
you were still in that game. And when you kicked
a field goal and made it twenty one to sixteen,
you were very much still in that game. But CJ
kept giving the ball away, the offense kept giving the
ball away, and the Achilles of this twenty twenty five
textan season was the guy they drafted number two overall
(01:46):
three short seasons ago, and it remains that right now.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yeah, it's a shame that went down like that got
it to twenty one to sixteen. Like you said, they
didn't have any more turnovers after that, their defense gave
up the only points of the game remaining. They definitely
would not be the number one defense of all time.
Number one defensive all time probably doesn't give up three
touchdown passes to Drake May, but they did, and it's
part of the story. I know what the major part
of the story is, and we will obviously focus there.
Demiko Ryans met with the media, as did CJ. Stroud
(02:12):
after the game last night, very hard to deliver satisfactory answers,
and they certainly didn't seem to be for most of
the people that heard from them or heard about what
was said. Demiko has also met with the media already today,
just moments ago, wrapping up before we sat into these seats.
There are four teams that are still playing football, and
for the third consecutive year, with an opportunity to be
(02:33):
among them. The Texans are not so progress for this
team would be debatable at best. They have finished their
season in the exact same spot ever since CJ. Demiko
and Will Anderson Junior arrived. Hard to evaluate them anything
other than where they sit today. We will definitely look
at where they once were.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
CJ.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Stroud's first year not nearly what you hoped it would
be three years from now. After watching that, probably the
opposite is true. Will Anderson playing nice football looked like
a nice pick in year one, and by year three
there aren't maybe any players at hitch age in the
league that you would rather have on your team. It's
been unbelievable how well he has played, and he did
(03:14):
it again yesterday with another three sack performance. Forced a
couple of fumbles, but one of the things that Demiko
said today, we may hear it more in full. I
thought it was worth pointing out because there is more
to just the game than your quarterbacks play. Two of
the four teams that lost yesterday should have their quarterback
going to the podium and saying, I feel like I
(03:35):
let the team down, and they both did, Josh Allen
and Buffalo, whose coach has since been fired, and C. J.
Stroud yesterday. Obviously, Debiko just met with the media. He
has not been fired. But one thing that Demiko said
regarding the defense, and I don't know if people were
a little bit upset listening to or reading about what
one of the Patriots said about, you know, the defensive
(03:55):
play yesterday. A quote was from Will Campbell. Our defense
played better. There's a lot of talk about how them
but our defense outplayed their defense today, and I think
if you really sit down and think about it, Demico
probably agrees. And that's what he said essentially today, not
responding to the comment, but saying they have a good defense.
Their guys made plays. They guys made the plays that
(04:17):
needed to be made, you know, turning those tipballs and interceptions,
returning one of them for a touchdown of the four
and that's as simple as it gets. The Texans were
in position to make even more plays than they did defensively,
and yes, it's asking a lot, but that's the only
reason that New England's moving on, because their defense did
make a bunch of those plays much much easier. Against
(04:37):
a quarterback who had such a poor performance. They did
a lot to force it, but he could have done
a lot to prevent it. It's a long offseason, even
when you make it two extra weeks. The Texans have
one in front of them right now. We are definitely
open to any and all conversation from you guys, like
we always are and already could build out fifty shows
in a row with the comments on social media, but
(04:58):
happy to have you in on the disc today. You
know the number at seven one three, two one two
five seven ninety. I said something rather bold before the
Steelers game. I thought if the Texans won that game,
they would be in the Super Bowl. And I really
kind of shows how ridiculously bad they have to play
on offense in certain ways for that to have been prevented,
which is obviously now not going to be the case.
(05:22):
I would say this also about the Texans moving forward
and some of the things that people will look at
and you you've got to take a look at what
the NFL is doing right now. Ten openings in the NFL,
two coaches in the AFC, two coaches have been in
their position longer than Demiko Ryans. He just got here
in twenty twenty three. He just passed the three year
(05:44):
mark for when he was hired, and only Andy Reid
and Zach Taylor have been in their positions longer in
the AFC. Ryce Young had his fifth year option picked
up not long after his only postseason game ended earlier
this offseason, and it was asked of Demico Ryans earlier today.
Definitely something to consider what the Texans are doing moving forward.
(06:07):
There's a billion questions from yesterday's game. We'd love to
answer along with you over the next four hours, and
we will.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Well get to that in just a second. I just
want to make an emphatic statement. You want a debate
about it being one of the all time defenses, That's fine.
I agree with what you said, by the way, but
they are in the conversation in that I just feel
like they carried this team to that insane winning streak
and kept them in games even that they did lose.
(06:34):
This is in my opinion, and I don't know if
WEX will agree with this, and you guys are certainly
up to debate it as well, but I think, all
things considered, especially what we found out a mere minutes
after the Broncos advanced to the AFC Championship, this is
by far the most crushing playoff loss in Houston football
history because of what was at stake. I now more
(06:57):
than ever agree with what Wex said before he knew
that bo Knicks was going to go down. The winner
of this game was going to go to the Super Bowl.
And I still think that. I mean, I'm sure Sean
Payton has been joined at the hip with Jared Stidham
since the clock hit triple zeros the other day, formulating
a game plan of some sort to go up against
(07:17):
this New England defense and try to offset what Drake
may could or could not do offensively in Mile High Stadium.
But I mean, come on, You're you're asking Jared Stidham
to be productive against this Houston Texans defense. With the
AFC Championship on the line, There's no way the Texans
(07:38):
don't at a minimum make their first ever appearance in
the Super Bowl if they win this game yesterday, very likely.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
And that's why this is the most crushing loss. I mean,
regardless of that. I mean, I think that was the
worst loss in Texans history. This is oilers included when
I say this, though, Oh, I don't care about the
oilers at all.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Houston football history and FO involves the oilers that you
have to I don't.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
I don't care about it. This is the Texans. This
is the worst loss in Texans history. That's all I'm
comparing it to. It's the worst loss of the Demiico era, obviously,
and this is the best era of Texans football's. It's
a performance you cannot you can still We're sitting here today.
The game had just kicked off twenty four hours ago.
Three hours after that, you couldn't believe what you were watching.
We're twenty four hours later, we're going to be forty
(08:16):
eight to seventy two, ninety six hours later, and you're
still not going to believe what you saw right out
of the gate. Right out of the gate with your
offense with CJ. Stroud, with the first of three crucial
drops by his receivers, and again most of this was
addressed I think today a little bit better than maybe
yesterday by Demico. And we'll see what else is gathered
(08:37):
from the Texans. Again, locker room unavailable to me because
I'm here with you guys. Would love to be in
there to see a little bit of what some guys
had to say. Obviously, not on the road with the
Texans a little bit difficult, but like we said, it
is from you know, I'm only speaking for me. You obviously,
I think are recognizing the gravity of the situation a
little bit better. It does matter to people. It's the
(08:59):
same thing when they went to Pittsburgh and I said
this is a Texans story, Well to fans, it's not.
It's just a football story for Houston. I've been a
fan of Houston football. I think it's very similar to
a team like you knew that the Oilers were a
better team at least once right during these seven straight
years Warren Moon took that team to the playoffs. You
knew the Oilers got screwed in Pittsburgh and maybe that
(09:22):
was the year they could have done more. So it
has happened before, but they had one team one of
those teams with Warren Moon where they had a defense
like this, and not so coincidentally, was a year where
they rattled off win after win after win after win
after win after win after a slow start to their season,
exactly like this year. But that team had Warren Moon
(09:43):
on it. This team had CJ. Stroud on it. And
I don't know how much you guys want to be
bogged down with the numbers or the negative numbers, because
they're unbelievable. C J. Stroud twenty twenty three versus c J.
Stroud twenty twenty five and the path he's been on.
It's unbelievable how bad it got yesterday, and it's just
a trend that continued.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
I cannot believe this is the same kid that had
that rookie season, and I am as guilty as anybody
defending him, way, way, way longer than I should have,
to the point where at some point this season, the
offensive line, which is still by the way, needs immense work.
I don't care what.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
They lost yesterday, right The offensive line got worked yesterday
in the run game more so than in the past
game because CG had time to make good decisions and
he didn't. CG had time to make good throws, and
he didn't. But they didn't win in the pass game,
they were they did good enough to have a quarterback
perform a heck of a lot better than that. But
you also obviously had pressure under to pass the ball
the whole game because you couldn't run the ball at all,
(10:44):
and it was part Woody. I don't know why wood
he refused to run. I don't want to say he
didn't run hard because that sounds like I'm talking about effort.
I'm being literal. He got the handoff and then would
pitter patter his way to a non hole even if
there wasn't a hole. How's he going to get any yards?
He's not going any so, I don't know if something
else was wrong. And it was yet another game where
he left, but you know, talking about CJ like he did. Uh,
(11:06):
I think there is a lot more to yesterday's performance
than just oh my god, he's so bad, get rid
of him. But that's certainly how a lot of people
do feel. We recognize that, and the one I'm crazy,
I can't. I can't blame them right now. On Monday, January.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Nineteenth, less than twenty four hours after twenty eight to sixteen.
But you know what, that's what shows like this are four. Absolutely,
we don't normally do this. We don't normally pump the
phone number, but seven one three two one two five,
seven ninety we want your reaction if you would like
to give it. If not, we've got plenty between the
two of us. But yeah, let's talk about the most obvious,
(11:40):
the elephant in the room, the Texans being at a
one hundred percent crossroads in some way, shape or form,
no matter how you look at it, they're at a crossroads.
With CJ. Stroud, we will dive into that and you'll
hear from both Dimico and CJ. Next The eight on
Sports Talk seven ninety
It is not a victory. Monday, Welcome into the A
Team post mortem edition Sports Talk seven to ninety. Wex
ac Josh Jordan with you on a Morgue edition of
the program after the Texans went up to New England.
I swear Wex twenty eight to sixteen felt like fifty
(00:22):
two to sixteen. And that's a testament to the Texans defense.
But a lot of layers to peel from this onion.
It wasn't particularly any other flavor other than bitter on
a day where you absolutely and Wex has said this
since the game on social media. Everybody who watched all season,
(00:42):
not just yesterday's game, knows it. You wasted one of
the best defenses in NFL history. And I don't even
think it's hyperbole to say that. I really do think
you could stack this Texans defense up against the all
time greats and you would at least have them in
the conversation. Might not be number one, but you would
not be laughed out of the building given what they
(01:03):
had done all season long, and honestly what they did yesterday,
but five turnovers on the road, you just can't overcome that,
not even with this defense. He had several against the
Pittsburgh Steelers. But that just wasn't enough yesterday. And that
was the crazy part, because as bad as CJ. Stroud
(01:24):
individually and the offense collectively played, when you got to halftime,
you were still in that game. And when you kicked
a field goal and made it twenty one to sixteen,
you were very much still in that game. But CJ
kept giving the ball away, the offense kept giving the
ball away, and the Achilles of this twenty twenty five
textan season was the guy they drafted number two overall
(01:46):
three short seasons ago, and it remains that right now.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yeah, it's a shame that went down like that got
it to twenty one to sixteen. Like you said, they
didn't have any more turnovers after that, their defense gave
up the only points of the game remaining. They definitely
would not be the number one defense of all time.
Number one defensive all time probably doesn't give up three
touchdown passes to Drake May, but they did, and it's
part of the story. I know what the major part
of the story is, and we will obviously focus there.
Demiko Ryans met with the media, as did CJ. Stroud
(02:12):
after the game last night, very hard to deliver satisfactory answers,
and they certainly didn't seem to be for most of
the people that heard from them or heard about what
was said. Demiko has also met with the media already today,
just moments ago, wrapping up before we sat into these seats.
There are four teams that are still playing football, and
for the third consecutive year, with an opportunity to be
(02:33):
among them. The Texans are not so progress for this
team would be debatable at best. They have finished their
season in the exact same spot ever since CJ. Demiko
and Will Anderson Junior arrived. Hard to evaluate them anything
other than where they sit today. We will definitely look
at where they once were.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
CJ.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Stroud's first year not nearly what you hoped it would
be three years from now. After watching that, probably the
opposite is true. Will Anderson playing nice football looked like
a nice pick in year one, and by year three
there aren't maybe any players at hitch age in the
league that you would rather have on your team. It's
been unbelievable how well he has played, and he did
(03:14):
it again yesterday with another three sack performance. Forced a
couple of fumbles, but one of the things that Demiko
said today, we may hear it more in full. I
thought it was worth pointing out because there is more
to just the game than your quarterbacks play. Two of
the four teams that lost yesterday should have their quarterback
going to the podium and saying, I feel like I
(03:35):
let the team down, and they both did, Josh Allen
and Buffalo, whose coach has since been fired, and C. J.
Stroud yesterday. Obviously, Debiko just met with the media. He
has not been fired. But one thing that Demiko said
regarding the defense, and I don't know if people were
a little bit upset listening to or reading about what
one of the Patriots said about, you know, the defensive
(03:55):
play yesterday. A quote was from Will Campbell. Our defense
played better. There's a lot of talk about how them
but our defense outplayed their defense today, and I think
if you really sit down and think about it, Demico
probably agrees. And that's what he said essentially today, not
responding to the comment, but saying they have a good defense.
Their guys made plays. They guys made the plays that
(04:17):
needed to be made, you know, turning those tipballs and interceptions,
returning one of them for a touchdown of the four
and that's as simple as it gets. The Texans were
in position to make even more plays than they did defensively,
and yes, it's asking a lot, but that's the only
reason that New England's moving on, because their defense did
make a bunch of those plays much much easier. Against
(04:37):
a quarterback who had such a poor performance. They did
a lot to force it, but he could have done
a lot to prevent it. It's a long offseason, even
when you make it two extra weeks. The Texans have
one in front of them right now. We are definitely
open to any and all conversation from you guys, like
we always are and already could build out fifty shows
in a row with the comments on social media, but
(04:58):
happy to have you in on the disc today. You
know the number at seven one three, two one two
five seven ninety. I said something rather bold before the
Steelers game. I thought if the Texans won that game,
they would be in the Super Bowl. And I really
kind of shows how ridiculously bad they have to play
on offense in certain ways for that to have been prevented,
which is obviously now not going to be the case.
(05:22):
I would say this also about the Texans moving forward
and some of the things that people will look at
and you you've got to take a look at what
the NFL is doing right now. Ten openings in the NFL,
two coaches in the AFC, two coaches have been in
their position longer than Demiko Ryans. He just got here
in twenty twenty three. He just passed the three year
(05:44):
mark for when he was hired, and only Andy Reid
and Zach Taylor have been in their positions longer in
the AFC. Ryce Young had his fifth year option picked
up not long after his only postseason game ended earlier
this offseason, and it was asked of Demico Ryans earlier today.
Definitely something to consider what the Texans are doing moving forward.
(06:07):
There's a billion questions from yesterday's game. We'd love to
answer along with you over the next four hours, and
we will.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Well get to that in just a second. I just
want to make an emphatic statement. You want a debate
about it being one of the all time defenses, That's fine.
I agree with what you said, by the way, but
they are in the conversation in that I just feel
like they carried this team to that insane winning streak
and kept them in games even that they did lose.
(06:34):
This is in my opinion, and I don't know if
WEX will agree with this, and you guys are certainly
up to debate it as well, but I think, all
things considered, especially what we found out a mere minutes
after the Broncos advanced to the AFC Championship, this is
by far the most crushing playoff loss in Houston football
history because of what was at stake. I now more
(06:57):
than ever agree with what Wex said before he knew
that bo Knicks was going to go down. The winner
of this game was going to go to the Super Bowl.
And I still think that. I mean, I'm sure Sean
Payton has been joined at the hip with Jared Stidham
since the clock hit triple zeros the other day, formulating
a game plan of some sort to go up against
(07:17):
this New England defense and try to offset what Drake
may could or could not do offensively in Mile High Stadium.
But I mean, come on, You're you're asking Jared Stidham
to be productive against this Houston Texans defense. With the
AFC Championship on the line, There's no way the Texans
(07:38):
don't at a minimum make their first ever appearance in
the Super Bowl if they win this game yesterday, very likely.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
And that's why this is the most crushing loss. I mean,
regardless of that. I mean, I think that was the
worst loss in Texans history. This is oilers included when
I say this, though, Oh, I don't care about the
oilers at all.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Houston football history and FO involves the oilers that you
have to I don't.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
I don't care about it. This is the Texans. This
is the worst loss in Texans history. That's all I'm
comparing it to. It's the worst loss of the Demiico era, obviously,
and this is the best era of Texans football's. It's
a performance you cannot you can still We're sitting here today.
The game had just kicked off twenty four hours ago.
Three hours after that, you couldn't believe what you were watching.
We're twenty four hours later, we're going to be forty
(08:16):
eight to seventy two, ninety six hours later, and you're
still not going to believe what you saw right out
of the gate. Right out of the gate with your
offense with CJ. Stroud, with the first of three crucial
drops by his receivers, and again most of this was
addressed I think today a little bit better than maybe
yesterday by Demico. And we'll see what else is gathered
(08:37):
from the Texans. Again, locker room unavailable to me because
I'm here with you guys. Would love to be in
there to see a little bit of what some guys
had to say. Obviously, not on the road with the
Texans a little bit difficult, but like we said, it
is from you know, I'm only speaking for me. You obviously,
I think are recognizing the gravity of the situation a
little bit better. It does matter to people. It's the
(08:59):
same thing when they went to Pittsburgh and I said
this is a Texans story, Well to fans, it's not.
It's just a football story for Houston. I've been a
fan of Houston football. I think it's very similar to
a team like you knew that the Oilers were a
better team at least once right during these seven straight
years Warren Moon took that team to the playoffs. You
knew the Oilers got screwed in Pittsburgh and maybe that
(09:22):
was the year they could have done more. So it
has happened before, but they had one team one of
those teams with Warren Moon where they had a defense
like this, and not so coincidentally, was a year where
they rattled off win after win after win after win
after win after win after a slow start to their season,
exactly like this year. But that team had Warren Moon
(09:43):
on it. This team had CJ. Stroud on it. And
I don't know how much you guys want to be
bogged down with the numbers or the negative numbers, because
they're unbelievable. C J. Stroud twenty twenty three versus c J.
Stroud twenty twenty five and the path he's been on.
It's unbelievable how bad it got yesterday, and it's just
a trend that continued.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
I cannot believe this is the same kid that had
that rookie season, and I am as guilty as anybody
defending him, way, way, way longer than I should have,
to the point where at some point this season, the
offensive line, which is still by the way, needs immense work.
I don't care what.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
They lost yesterday, right The offensive line got worked yesterday
in the run game more so than in the past
game because CG had time to make good decisions and
he didn't. CG had time to make good throws, and
he didn't. But they didn't win in the pass game,
they were they did good enough to have a quarterback
perform a heck of a lot better than that. But
you also obviously had pressure under to pass the ball
the whole game because you couldn't run the ball at all,
(10:44):
and it was part Woody. I don't know why wood
he refused to run. I don't want to say he
didn't run hard because that sounds like I'm talking about effort.
I'm being literal. He got the handoff and then would
pitter patter his way to a non hole even if
there wasn't a hole. How's he going to get any yards?
He's not going any so, I don't know if something
else was wrong. And it was yet another game where
he left, but you know, talking about CJ like he did. Uh,
(11:06):
I think there is a lot more to yesterday's performance
than just oh my god, he's so bad, get rid
of him. But that's certainly how a lot of people
do feel. We recognize that, and the one I'm crazy,
I can't. I can't blame them right now. On Monday, January.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Nineteenth, less than twenty four hours after twenty eight to sixteen.
But you know what, that's what shows like this are four. Absolutely,
we don't normally do this. We don't normally pump the
phone number, but seven one three two one two five,
seven ninety we want your reaction if you would like
to give it. If not, we've got plenty between the
two of us. But yeah, let's talk about the most obvious,
(11:40):
the elephant in the room, the Texans being at a
one hundred percent crossroads in some way, shape or form,
no matter how you look at it, they're at a crossroads.
With CJ. Stroud, we will dive into that and you'll
hear from both Dimico and CJ. Next The eight on
Sports Talk seven ninety
Popular Podcasts
Two Guys, Five Rings: Matt, Bowen & The Olympics
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.
iHeartOlympics: The Latest
Listen to the latest news from the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are here and have everyone talking. iHeartPodcasts is buzzing with content in honor of the XXV Winter Olympics We’re bringing you episodes from a variety of iHeartPodcast shows to help you keep up with the action. Follow Milan Cortina Winter Olympics so you don’t miss any coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and if you like what you hear, be sure to follow each Podcast in the feed for more great content from iHeartPodcasts.