Texans Players Postgame Transcripts 1/18
TEXANS PLAYERS
Jayden Higgins, WR
(On the Texans offensive struggles)
“You just can’t turn the ball over as much as we did on offense. That’s a good team [the Patriots], for sure. They ended up making the plays when they needed them most and I don’t think we ended up doing that.”
(On the Texans battling to the end)
“I think it’s a testament to what we’ve been doing all year. Starting off 0-3 and finishing the season how we did. It’s just a testament to the people who are in our building. Everyone on this team has a man’s heart, for sure.
Cade Stover, TE
(On the Texans offensive struggles)
“You could point the finger at the offense. We just didn’t execute the way we were supposed to do. Turnovers, not getting blocks and things that put us in bad situations.”
(On if the weather conditions played a factor in the game)
“You’ve got to make plays in it and we didn’t do that.”
(On the Texans defense)
“I just feel bad for our defense. They are really talented. It’s hard. I feel bad for our defense.”
Woody Marks, RB
(On the game and what happened out there today)
“Everybody needs to just follow the details and being on top of their game.”
(On supporting C.J. Stroud)
“Ah, yeah for sure, just keeping him up and play the next play and even though we got turnovers we need to play the next play and not letting him down. He is the leader of the offense, so he can’t have his head down.”
(On the team going forward)
“This a great team and everybody needs to come back and get back to work. We got get in the gym and we have got to do what we have got to do.”
Xavier Hutchinson, WR
(On his thoughts of the game and CJ Stroud)
“There is no need to pick him up. CJ [Stroud] is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I stand on that, and I believe that. It wasn’t the best game for a lot of us, man, but you know, that is just how the ball goes sometimes. There is no like, picking up, though. I mean he is already there and he knows what he can do. It was all about us, you know, just playing ball, and it is really just capitalizing on all of the opportunities that we got, and, you know, we didn’t do that tonight.”
(On the offense and what they need to do in the future to go further in playoff games)
“Not beat ourselves. You know, I should and I had a hand in that so it doesn’t feel great but, I mean, it’s just plain and simple, you can’t beat yourselves in the playoffs and that’s exactly what we did today.”
(On what adjustments they made in the second half)
“No adjustments. We just didn’t beat ourselves. And that’s what happens when you don’t beat yourself. We are a good team and we are a good offense and a lot of the times we got in our own way and when you get in your own way in the playoffs, you know, you tend to be on the opposite side of winning, so.”
Tommy Togiai, DT.
(On how tough this was to end)
“First of all, I just want to shout out God. Just thankful for the position we put everybody in and being here. Obviously, yeah, not the result we were looking for. Just proud of all the guys, all season, being resilient and fighting till the very end. We came up short. I’m just proud of the guys that I went to war with every day.”
(On the defensive mentality after the offensive turnovers)
“It’s a sudden change for us. We want to go out there. It doesn’t matter what the offense did, honestly. What we’ve got to do is put up a stop. So, for us to go out there, we’ve just got to do our game. I mean, obviously, we don’t want the turnovers, but we can’t control that. So, we just have to go out and play our ball.”
(On how the defense played today against the Patriots)
“Shout out to them. It’s a good team, and they made plays when they had to. Obviously, we want some of those plays back that they had. But I’m just proud of the way we fought on defense and played the whole night. I thought we played on a solid game, but obviously some plays we needed back.”
Azeez Al-Shaair, LB.
(On what is needed to get to the next level)
“I think every single one of them is different. How we lost last year wasn’t the same as how we lost this year and the year before I got here. So, that’s the thing that’s so challenging, but it’s also such a blessing about the game, that it’s never the same. I think we like to say, ‘Oh, well how are you going to do it?’ I have no clue, because this group is over. This is it. That’s the part that stinks. The new group that we’re going to have going into the new year, even if 90% of the roster is the same – it’s a new year, it’s a new journey, it’s a new mountain that you have to climb, and that’s what kills you when you lose. But that’s what makes it such a blessing. When you can reflect on how far you’ve come. From where this team started to where we ended up, I’m sure 90% of you all did not think we would be in the position that we were in, starting the season off 0-3 or even 3-5. So, I’m truly grateful to be a part of this group and a part of this team, the mindset that everybody has and the way that everybody is.”
(On the defense keeping them in the game despite the turnovers)
“I talked to the dudes on Saturday. I talked about the story of Noah’s Ark. When Noah was formulating the ark, everybody around him was like, ‘What the heck are you doing?’ All the criticism and all the naysayers, you just have to trust in God and do the work. I told the guys, it doesn’t matter what happens. If it’s God’s will, and we put the work in, we’ll be exactly where we want to be. That’s what got us this far in the first place. It’s just putting our heads down and working. So, I mean, all the way until literally the very last drive, I just believed that some way, somehow, we can make it happen. It just stinks that it didn’t work out that way.”
(On what he would say to C.J. Stroud having a tough game)
“Last year, it was me. Last year I was hurt. Both my knees were hurting, I gave up a touchdown. Dude standing over me, taunting me. I played terrible. So, I know exactly what it feels like to feel like you let the team down. I remember sitting in the locker room in Kansas City literally saying that to the whole team. I couldn’t look nobody in the face. So, for me, I know about that pain. I told C.J. already, it’s just the work – just put the work in. Don’t forget the feeling, let it fuel you to where you want to go moving forward for this next season. But that’s what it’s about. Just putting the work in, just putting your head down and just blocking out the noise, and just correcting what you feel like you need to get better at.”
Jalen Pitre, S
(On the difference in the game)
“I’m going to be honest, I don’t really have any answers right now. We obviously didn’t do enough. It’s that simple. We didn’t execute enough, didn’t make enough plays.”
(On if the weather was a factor)
“No. They were playing in the same elements as us.”
(On the result of the game)
“I’m going to be honest. It doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, the stats, all that, it doesn’t matter when you lose.”