The Houston Texans are entering the most critical stretch of their 2025 season. They currently sit at 5-5, just outside the playoff picture, and need to win at least four of their remaining games to have any shot at the postseason.
However, the Texans have been without star quarterback C.J. Stroud for the past two and a half weeks after he suffered a concussion in Houston’s Week 9 loss to the Denver Broncos. Here’s the latest on the quarterback’s injury status and the timeline for his return.
Latest on CJ Stroud’s Injury and Return Timeline
Stroud took a big hit in the second quarter of the Texans’ loss to the Broncos, resulting in a severe concussion. He missed most of that game and didn’t play in Houston’s Week 10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars or their Week 11 win over the Tennessee Titans.
While the Texans won their last two games without their star quarterback, the team is hoping to get Stroud back as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case for their Week 12 matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.
Stroud has officially been ruled out for the Texans’ game against the Bills. While that’s bad news for Houston, the good news is that the young quarterback is reportedly expected to return for their Week 13 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Houston’s offense has struggled all season, ranking 25th in the NFL according to PFSN’s OFFi metric. While Stroud hasn’t played his best football in 2025, ranking 19th among all NFL quarterbacks in PFSN’s QBi metric, the offense is undoubtedly better when he’s on the field.
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Davis Mills has taken over as Houston’s starting quarterback while Stroud has been sidelined. Although he’s led the team to back-to-back wins, his play has been significantly worse than Stroud’s, ranking 33rd among NFL quarterbacks this season according to PFSN’s QBi metric.
The Bills are one of the best teams in the NFL, and not having Stroud for the game seriously hurts the Texans’ chances of winning on Thursday night. If Houston falls to 5-6 after Week 12, Stroud’s return against the Colts in Week 13 becomes even more crucial.
While Houston’s offense has struggled in 2025, its defense has been among the league’s best, ranking second in the NFL according to PFSN’s DEFi metric. With their elite defense and Stroud on the field, the Texans have a chance to beat any team, but they’ll have to wait until Week 13 to have their QB1 fully healthy.
