Ten days have gone by since Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud suffered a concussion at the hands of Denver Broncos defensive back Kris Abrams-Draine and the turf at NRG Stadium, and now as Houston approaches their Week 11 showdown with the Tennessee Titans, the question on everyone's mind is whether Stroud will be forced to miss a second game, or if he'll be back on the field as the Texans aim to get to .500 for the first time this season.
Unfortunately for those who were already expecting a definitive answer on the CJ Stroud front, you'll need to continue playing the waiting game for at least a little while longer. Presently, Stroud remains in concussion protocol, and while that could be quantified as bad news, there is some good news here too... per Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle, Stroud was back at the Texans practice facility on Monday with hopes of being able to return to action in Week 11.
In order for Stroud to be able to suit up against the Titans this Sunday afternoon, he would need to take part in two practices this week and not show any concussion symptoms throughout or after either of those two practices. The Texans will be practicing on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week, giving Stroud the chance to get himself out of concussion protocol before Sunday.
The last time Stroud suffered a concussion, late in his rookie season, the eventual Rookie of the Year winner was forced to miss two games before returning to the field just soon enough to lead Houston to an AFC South division title. This is worth mentioning because if Stroud isn't able to play against Tennessee this Sunday, there would undoubtedly be some immediate panic regarding his health, but it's worth remembering that missing two games with a concussion is not abnormal, nor should it be frowned upon.
If Stroud remains in concussion protocol through Sunday, it would mean that backup quarterback Davis Mills would make his second consecutive start. Mills was able to shake off a sluggish start against the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday to lead the Texans to a 36-29 win in which they outscored the Jags 26-0 in the 4th quarter alone. Mills put Houston ahead for the first time all afternoon with just 31 seconds left, when he scrambled for a 14 yard touchdown run.
Even if Mills proved to be competent enough to keep Houston afloat, and even if Tennessee is, in theory, as close to a walkover opponent as you could face in the NFL this season, it would be a huge relief for Texans fans to see CJ Stroud back under center. We just need to wait another couple of days before we find out if that is realistic or not.