There's no telling how Week 9's game against the Denver Broncos would've gone if third-year quarterback wasn't knocked out of the contest with a concussion early in the 2nd quarter, but one would assume that the Houston Texans' chances of getting a win and scraping back to .500 all but evaporated when Stroud's head hit the NRG Stadium turf in violent fashion.
From that point forward, the Texans offense couldn't muster any semblance of a reliable offensive attack, and unfortunately, in what has become typical Houston Texans fashion, a 4th quarter lead slipped away shortly after it was confirmed that QB1 had entered concussion protocol.
Now, a couple of days removed from the loss, the main question being asked in Houston is how lengthy will CJ Stroud's absence be? Optimistically, Stroud may only end up having to miss one game... a crucial AFC South matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who already have a win over Houston this year and currently hold onto the final Wild Card spot in the AFC. If you're a pessimist -- or maybe even a realist -- you're assuming Stroud is out for at least the next two games, if not more.
First and foremost, what's most important is that CJ Stroud returns to good health on his own timeline and nobody else's. Forget returning to the field for now. A head injury of this fashion is nothing to mess with, and fortunately, it sounds like Stroud is progressing and feeling better.
“I spoke to him last night, he’s feeling a little bit better,” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans told members of the media. “We’ll see how the week goes and how he progresses throughout the week.”
Texans now preparing for life with Davis Mills under center
The update that Ryans provided on Stroud is great to hear on a human level, but it's in the nature of any sports fan to wonder what comes next for their respective team, and for the Houston Texans, what comes next is that it will be Davis Mills who steps in for Stroud this Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars and maybe even beyond that.
Davis Mills is just 5-19-1 as a starter in the NFL, but the last time that Stroud had to miss time -- two years ago in Stroud's rookie season when he suffered another concussion -- it was Case Keenum, not Mills, who filled in for Stroud. It's a scary proposition for Texans fans, to have to know that a quarterback who has won fewer than 30 percent of his starts now has the fate of the team in his hands for the next week or so, but DeMeco Ryans seems confident that Mills can fill Stroud's shoes.
“I expect him to go out and do his best,” Ryans said. “Just play the offense the proper way and make great decisions with the football.”
In his NFL career, Mills has thrown for 6,327 yards, 35 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. He's completed 63 percent of his passes and has an 82.1 career passer rating. It's a steep drop from CJ Stroud for sure, but there are certainly worse backups in the league who could have to come in in a pinch. Perhaps it's a good sign that two of Mills' five career wins have come against the Jaguars.