HOUSTON — Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is not going to play Sunday towards the Jacksonville Jaguars due to a concussion.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans mentioned Stroud was “feeling a bit bit higher” after hitting his head on the bottom following a tough hit Sunday towards the Denver Broncos.
Ryans added that the Texans need to see how Stroud progresses all through the week. However clearly, Stroud did not progress rapidly sufficient to get cleared towards the Jaguars. Backup quarterback Davis Mills will get the nod, in response to Ryans.
“[Mills] has began video games in his league earlier than, so there’s nothing new for him,” Ryans mentioned Wednesday. “It’s a profit for him, with the ability to get the reps all through observe, get walk-through [reps], getting each single rep that he can get. He is achieved a great job with that. At the moment he did an excellent job. We had been environment friendly out and in of the huddle, on the line of scrimmage. He did a terrific job of speaking.”
Mills, a 2021 third-round draft pick of Stanford, began 26 video games for Houston from 2021 to 2022 and went 5-19-1 whereas throwing for five,802 yards with 33 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. Since Stroud’s arrival in Houston, he has handed for 385 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Houston is twenty fourth within the NFL in scoring offense at 21 factors per recreation, although Stroud’s QBR (64.8) ranks twelfth, which is a profession excessive. On the season, Stroud has 11 passing touchdowns (tied for nineteenth) and 1,702 yards (nineteenth).
In September, Mills signed an extension price $7 million as a result of Houston felt good about his capacity to step in if Stroud was out. The deal retains him in Houston by the 2026 season.
“You possibly can play at any given snap. Unlucky what occurred to C.J. within the recreation,” Mills mentioned. “I received thrown in there. That is what I receives a commission to do, all the time be ready, and it is good having a full week of observe going into this recreation to assault this protection and go on the market and compete with the blokes.”
Mills’ final begin got here towards the Indianapolis Colts in January 2023, when he threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to the game-winning 2-point conversion cross to tight finish Jordan Akins. Mockingly that game-winning cross is what pushed Houston from the projected No. 1 spot within the 2023 draft to No. 2, the place it chosen Stroud.
Mills steps into an essential Week 10 recreation this season, because the Texans (3-5) and Jaguars (5-3) will meet in a pivotal divisional matchup. The reigning back-to-back division champion Texans are at the moment third within the AFC South, trailing the Indianapolis Colts (7-2) and the Jaguars.
The Texans already misplaced to the Jaguars in Week 3, so getting swept by a divisional opponent whereas dropping to 3-6 would harm them in potential tiebreaking wild-card or divisional playoff situations.