HOUSTON -- Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud will miss his second straight game due to a concussion, coach DeMeco Ryans announced Thursday.
Backup quarterback Davis Mills will again start in place of Stroud when the Texans visit the Tennessee Titans (1-8) Sunday in Nashville. Mills has a chance to build on his memorable Week 10 performance, his first start in over two years, when he helped Houston (4-5) rally from a 19-point deficit in the second half to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 36-29. Mills had two touchdowns passes and capped the dramatic rally with a 14-yard scoring run with 31 seconds left.
This will be the second time in Stroud's three-year career that he'll miss consecutive games due to a concussion. The first occurred during his rookie season in 2023, when Stroud suffered a concussion against the New York Jets on Dec. 10, forcing him to miss the next two games against Tennessee and the Cleveland Browns.
Stroud suffered his latest concussion in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos as the quarterback was attempting to slide on a third-down play. He was hit by Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, who lunged into Stroud's chest, which caused the quarterback's head to hit the ground.
Stroud has not practiced since sustaining the concussion against Denver, which could complicate his potential return in Week 12 as the Texans have a short week before facing the Buffalo Bills on "Thursday Night Football."
Mills completed 60% of his throws in last week's win, throwing for 292 yards with two scores through the air and an interception.
Along with Stroud, Ryans ruled out safety Jalen Pitre (concussion) and kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn (quad).
