By: Malik Jackson
When the NFL season reaches December/January, only a few teams remain in contention. While regular-season success can lead to individual awards such as Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the year, none of those accolades matter once the playoffs begin. The quarterback remains the most important position in football, especially when the stakes are highest. This postseason, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans both entered the playoffs with high expectations but delivered subpar performances in critical moments. And this isn’t the first time either quarterback has struggled when it mattered most.
Josh Allen who won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award last year had a lot of people turning heads again this season by not only breaking Cam Newton’s rushing touchdown record for quarterbacks (75) in November 2025 but also surpassing Newton with (76) rushing touchdowns, leading his team to a playoff berth for the seventh straight year.
This season, with injuries to superstar quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, there was belief around the league that this could be an easier route to getting to the Super Bowl for Allen who plays against both in the AFC. Josh Allen faced the Denver Broncos in this year’s AFC Divisional Round and ended up falling short 33-30 after a controversial interception late in overtime.
“I love my teammates, and I’m extremely sorry, and I’m extremely disappointed in how this ended, “It’s extremely difficult,” Allen said. He continued, “I feel like I let my teammates down tonight.”
After losing in the divisional round, Bills changed paths for the future of the organization by firing head coach Sean McDermott.
A similar postseason reality emerged for C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans, though their paths unfolded differently. Houston opened the playoffs in the Wild Card round with a dominating 30-6 win against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Texans had the number one ranked defense in the league which aided CJ’s success throughout the season. However this wasn’t the case in the divisional round, where he struggled by throwing four interceptions. Stroud spoke on his lackluster performance against the New England Patriots where the Texans lost 28-16.
“When I look back on it, I feel like I let people down, and I’m not happy with that. It hurts. I’m not used to it. I didn’t play my best this year, but I’m going to respond, I’m going to keep my chest out and my chin up high,” Stroud said.
What can we expect from these two AFC quarterbacks moving forward and who’s in a better position to succeed?
Having subpar performances can shape the direction of one’s career. This has impacted both quarterbacks emotionally as they want to improve and show their true capabilities. If these things can’t be solved, then you’re looking at the possibility of both leaving their organizations to experience new scenery.
Again, winning in the AFC will be more difficult once Patrick Mahomes gets fully healthy. With the rest of the conference inching their way to the top, a lot will change. However, if both can learn from these mistakes in crucial games, we’re talking about Super Bowl MVP caliber quarterbacks. Observers of the NFL understand this and know the importance of time and development. But when years progressively go past and the results haven’t shown, it’s inevitable that the franchise could simply will give up at some point.
Stroud has a better all-around team surrounding him including a phenomenal defense and coaching staff set in place to continue to support his growth. With Allen losing a familiar face in the organization and starting off fresh with Joe Brady, how Josh Allen progresses will be something to watch. These are important factors moving forward for both quarterbacks. Wishing both the best as it’s very difficult to get back into playoff positioning every single year, especially in a star-studded AFC conference.