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CJ Stroud injury update: Texans make decision on QB status for TNF vs. Bills

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones11/18/25brianjones_93
cj stroud texans
Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports

Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud will not play in the team’s Thursday Night Football game against the Buffalo Bills. On Tuesday, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters that Stroud has been ruled out as he’s still in concussion protocol.

This will be the third consecutive game CJ Stroud will miss due to a concussion. Davis Mills will take Stroud’s place in the starting lineup, and he helped Houston win its last two games.

It’s not surprising that Stroud is not playing on Thursday since it’s a short week for the Texans. On Monday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said that it was likely that the former Ohio State star would be out for the third consecutive week.

“We’re still waiting for CJ Stroud to clear, and I think there’s a real question as to whether he would go on Thursday night against Buffalo,” Schefter said. “I think there’s a real possibility that CJ Stroud will miss his third straight game, and it will be Davis Mills again on Thursday night.”

Davis Mills will start for CJ Stroud

Stroud suffered the concussion during the second quarter of the Texans’ 18-15 loss to the Denver Broncos earlier this month. Through eight games this year, the former Ohio State star has completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 1,702 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions with a 3-5 record.

Mills has been with the Texans since 2021, when the team selected him in the third round. He has played in four games this season with two starts and has completed 60 percent of his passes for 726 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.

“He’s a competitor deep down inside, and he wants to make those plays,” Ryans said of Mills after the Texans’ win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, per the Associated Press. “Our entire sideline, our team feels that from Davis. We feel his confidence when he’s out there, knowing that he’s going to go to the right spot with the football and make a play.”

Houston has won three of its last four games, and it has led to a 5-5 record. The Texans are currently in third place in the AFC North and one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final playoff spot in the AFC.