Texans Announce CJ Stroud News on Tuesday

"Texans coach DeMeco Ryans ruled out QB C.J. Stroud (concussion) for Thursday night's game vs. Buffalo," he reported. "Davis Mills gets the start again."

However, Stround is expected to be ready for Week 13, per ESPN.

This development is hardly a crisis for the Texans, as Mills' strong play makes Stroud's return less urgent. Additionally, wide receiver Nico Collins has increased his production with Mills, as he has 16 catches for 228 yards and a touchdown over the last two games after notching 33 receptions for 414 yards and three scores across his first seven.

Texans Could Assert Themselves in AFC Playoff Race

Houston is currently eighth in the AFC, one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars for the seventh and final playoff seed. A win would at least help it keep pace with Jacksonville, which will play the 3-7 Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

A victory over the 7-3 Bills would also show that the Texans' recent momentum is no fluke. They rank first in the NFL with just 258.1 yards allowed per game (per ESPN), but they've been held back by an offense that ranks 19th in average yards. However, if Mills keeps dealing, that won't be an issue anymore.

Stroud ranks ninth in the NFL with a 65.4 ESPN QBR, but he hasn't made a lot of explosive plays downfield. The 24-year-old has just 212.8 passing yards and 1.4 touchdown passes per game, which isn't what Houston envisioned when it drafted him No. 2 overall in 2023.

After hosting the Bills on Thursday, the Texans will hit the road to face the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs. Then, they'll return home to play the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders.

Thursday's game will start at 8:15 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video.