Davis Mills will look to follow up last week’s epic fourth-quarter comeback. Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images
Houston Texans backup quarterback Davis Mills will get his second consecutive start in Week 11, as starter C.J. Stroud remains out for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans with a concussion, coach DeMeco Ryans announced Thursday.
Stroud exited the team’s Week 9 loss to the Denver Broncos in the second quarter with a concussion. He missed last week’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars while in concussion protocol.
In Stroud’s absence, Mills got his first start since Jan. 8, 2023, and led the Texans to a thrilling win over the Jaguars in which Houston overcame a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 36-29. Mills recorded three fourth-quarter touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) while completing 60 percent of his passes for 292 yards. It was the second-biggest comeback in Texans history.
“The whole team had faith we were going to win that game the entire time,” Mills told reporters after the game, according to ESPN. “I think our team is very confident in our own abilities. We have a lot of players who can make plays. And we just needed to get things clicking.”
Mills, 27, was a third-round pick by the Texans in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Stanford. He started 11 games as a rookie due to injuries and ineffectiveness in the Texans’ quarterback room. He was named the starting quarterback at the start of the 2022 season, when Houston finished 3-13-1 and fired head coach Lovie Smith. He has been Stroud’s backup since 2023. Ahead of the 2024 season, he signed a one-year extension that pays him $5 million this season.
The Titans (1-8) are at the bottom of the AFC South and fired head coach Brian Callahan earlier this season. The Texans (4-5) have won two of their last three games and sit 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Indianapolis Colts (8-2). Houston beat Tennessee 26-0 in Week 4 to get its first victory of the season.
Nov 13, 2025
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