Ravens 31, Texans 2
Q. ...said that ya'll didn't really show up today and play your game. How would you describe how ya'll played today?
CJ STROUD: Yeah, that's exactly right, you know. Terrible on my behalf. You know, probably one of my worst games of my whole career. Just came out flat. Didn't have any energy. Didn't lead the offense the way I should have.
Always got to look at myself in the mirror and be honest with myself and not good enough today.
You know, it is what it is. Can't hang my head down, but just got to keep going.
Q. Frustrated with some of the early misses?
CJ STROUD: No. I just kept missing. You know, just wasn't making throws. At the same time, I got to find a way to stand in there stronger and make those throws. There was some miscommunication with me and some of the receivers, but ultimately up to me to make the throw when guys are open.
So, yeah.
Q. CJ, how do you put this one behind you before the playoffs begin in four weeks? Or more importantly, how will you get back to (indiscernible) before next week, Tennessee, the season finale?
CJ STROUD: That's the only thing we can do. There is nothing in life you can going to back on and redo, so it's all about how you respond. You know, you hit rock bottom, the only way is up.
So we still have a lot of hope, man. At the end of the day we clinched our division. We still have an opportunity to go in the playoffs. Got to finish this year the right way against Tennessee, and hopefully by that time we're in a groove and rolling when the playoffs come.
Q. I know this is a tough question to answer right after game, but was there anything that stood out? Did you feel like anything tangible that ya'll couldn't fix that you feel like is fixable at this point?
CJ STROUD: Yeah, a lot of things. It's really our execution. Not really anything that the other team does. Just what we put out on the field. So it's a lot of things to fix, and we'll be able to have those hard conversations in the week to have those and get things ironed out.
Q. What has been the difference for you between year one and year two as far as performance on the field?
CJ STROUD: You tell me. You know, I mean, I think I've tried to approach the game the same way I did and I think I'm seeing it better than I ever have. Just a little banged up so not really making plays. That's a terrible excuse.
But really just not making plays. That's really the difference between last year and this year for me. Just not making enough plays. You know, there are times where the plays are to be made and there are guys open and I got to find a way to make the play work, do something just that I'm capable of doing, you know, winning us a football game.
That's really up to me to lead our team in those times where guys are open, and ultimately it's just me making plays. That's really how I look at the difference between this year and last year, which can be fixed.
Q. As a team, does a loss like this late in the year worry you?
CJ STROUD: No. I mean, what are you going to do? Cry and weep about it? Of course, you know, it's not easy. At the same time, it's part of the game. Sometimes you go out there and lay an egg. It's not easy to say that, but that's what happened tonight. Didn't play well from the first play to the last.
That's part of the game. Things happen. I'm sure a lot of people in their careers had this type of game before. I'm not going to sit here and act like it's foreign, but it is necessary to wake you up. That's what it's going to do for me and this team.
Q. When things are going poorly, the fans are booing, the home crown, how does that affect you as a team or does it affect you?
CJ STROUD: You know, I mean, people are entitled to their opinions. They care about the game. Their emotions matter, so I understand. It's not my first time and probably won't be my last. It's not something to internalize and point the finger at yourself.
But it is something that you can, you know, use it to motivate you to like not want those moments anymore.
So I got plenty of football left in my career. Hopefully, God willing. I know this is going to be a story I'll tell one day that helped me in the long run. It's part of life, man. You hit a lot of valleys and have a lot of mountaintops.
It's cliche, but they say there isn't -- what is it? There's not sunny days if there is not days with rain. But at the end of the day the sun will rise up tomorrow. We have another crack at this thing next week and keep rolling.
Q. Teammates said that the energy was low. Did you sense that and do you agree, and how did that perhaps have an affect on ya'll?
CJ STROUD: Honestly, I don't know. I thought we came in with good energy from the locker room pre-game. You know, just wasn't really -- I was excited to play on Christmas my first time. Last year I was out so I was excited to play.
Then on primetime, one the first Netflix games, I thought that was pretty cool. I didn't really feel our energy down until right before half. Then we came out flat. Threw the interception which made it worse.
So those are things that we can control. We can control how we approach the game. We can control our execution. We can control our Xs and Os. I got to look at myself and be -- if I'm not throwing, bringing energy, I'm being an energy vampire, I got to check myself in those moments.
It is what it is and we'll learn from it and move on.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports