Why isn’t Houston QB C.J. Stroud playing for the Texans against the Bills on Thursday Night Football in Week 12?
The Houston Texans will be without their starting quarterback for the visit of the Buffalo Bills on Thursday.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud has been ruled out for the Houston Texans game again this week. He will miss the meeting with the Buffalo Bills having not yet cleared the league’s concussion protocol.
The Texans will take on the Bills on Thursday Night Football this week, looking to build on a two-game winning run. Stroud has not played in either of those wins having sustained a concussion in Week 9. In his place, backup QB David Mills has gone 2-0 for Houston.
CJ Stroud (concussion) has been ruled out for TNF vs. Bills
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) November 18, 2025
Stroud will miss his 3rd straight game pic.twitter.com/A3uIgeNrIC
The team had hoped that Stroud could be reinstated in time to face the Bills. He returned to practice on a limited basis on Tuesday but is still following the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Speaking on Tuesday, Houston coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed that both Stroud and safety Jalen Pitre would remain sidelined due to concussion.
Texans QB CJ Stroud is out for Thursday night’s matchup vs the Bills. He still has not cleared out of concussion protocol.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 18, 2025
Texans QB Davis Mills starts again.
“Both guys are progressing, they’re doing better,” Ryans said of Stroud and Pitre. “But right now, with the short-turnaround game on Thursday, just don’t have enough days for those guys to be available.”
Their absences will be a blow for the Houston as they look to capitalize on some positive momentum. Having gone 0-3 to start the season, the Texans have battled back to a 5-5 record and are now firmly in the hunt for a playoff place.
They take on the mighty Bills on Thursday, knowing that a victory would give them the added boost of a head-to-head tiebreaker against Buffalo, should the wild card chase come down to a fine margin.
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