HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s C.J. Stroud sustained a concussion after hitting his head hard on the ground at the end of a run in the second quarter of Sunday's 18-15 loss to Denver.
The team announced just after halftime that he had a concussion and was out for the remainder of the game. With Davis Mills in for him, the Texans struggled to move the ball and punted on six straight possessions after a field goal made it 15-7 on the first drive of the second half.
“Anytime you lose your starting quarterback, it’s always tough,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I thought Davis battled, tried to do a good job there and battle, but it just couldn’t do well offensively once we lost C.J.”
Stroud scrambled for 6 yards and was hit on the shoulder near the end of his slide by Kris Abrams-Draine and the back of his head violently bounced off the ground.
Abrams-Draine was initially flagged for unnecessary roughness. But the play was reviewed and the call was overturned when officials said he didn’t make contact with Stroud's head or neck.
Ryans was unhappy that the call was overturned.
“He slid and the guy came up and hit him and as I see it that’s unnecessary roughness,” Ryans said. “He hit the quarterback when he was sliding and giving himself up. If I’m incorrect on the rules, I’ve seen that happen multiple times with our guys and we get the penalty, but for some reason, it just didn’t happen there.”
Stroud remained on the ground for a few minutes while he was tended to by the medical staff. He eventually got up and walked to the sideline and entered the medical tent before going to the locker room.
Despite Stroud's injury, Ryans wouldn't make excuses for the loss and said they had plenty of chances to win.
“We just have to be able to make the plays we need to make,” he said. “We've gotta run the ball better, and we just gotta be able finish drives. It’s third down for me. You go 3 of 17 on third down, that’s not winning football.”
Mills was 17 of 30 for 137 yards as the Texans fell to 3-5. They managed just 77 yards rushing.
The Texans have had offensive struggles with Stroud under center, but things got much worse with Mills in the game. They failed to score a touchdown for just the second time this season and first since their opener against the Rams.
“Yeah, if I could draw it up that way, I would make sure C.J. didn’t get hurt,” Ryans said. “The guy didn’t hit C.J. like that and we were in a good spot to continue to press forward and drive the football, but we don’t control that. So what do you control? Whoever steps in, are you doing your job? Are you’re doing what you’re supposed to do to help the team win the game?”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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