HOUSTON \u2013 Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and nickel Jalen Pitre participated fully Thursday, and they are now poised to clear the last stage of the NFL concussion protocol and play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts<\/p>\n
Stroud has the required two consecutive full participation practices and is now expected to be cleared by an independent neurologist. Pitre was upgraded to full participation after being limited Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Both missed the last three games and are now poised to return to action for a pivotal road divisional game Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the protocol, each guy has their own steps and what they have to pass.\u201d Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of different steps, and each guy is different when it comes to the symptoms that they\u2019re having and what they\u2019re feeling. So, whatever they report that they\u2019re feeling, we\u2019re going to take that to heart and make sure we\u2019re taking extra precautions with the guys when it\u2019s a concussion. If he\u2019s out there playing, we hope he\u2019s playing at the highest level to help us be in position to help us be in position to win the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ryans reiterated Monday that Stroud will start, once he\u2019s cleared the protocol. Backup quarterback Davis Mills went 3-0 standing in for Stroud in wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills. Stroud hasn\u2019t experienced symptoms since returning to practice last week. He previously dealt with sensitivity to light and headaches, per sources.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever C.J. is back and ready to roll, he\u2019s been our starter,\u201d Ryans said. \u201cHe will be our starter whenever he\u2019s back and ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Texans Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr. was added to the injury report as not practicing due to a chest injury. Cornerback Ajani Carter and Jamal Hill remain sidelined with hamstring strains and will miss the Colts game.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Both players returned to practice last Tuesday when their symptoms subsided. Under the rules of the NFL concussion protocol, both need consecutive practices and must be cleared by an independent neurologist. Under the NFL rules, players who have sustained a concussion must pass a baseline neurological exam.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cHe looked good out there,\u201d Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins said of Stroud after practice Wednesday<\/p>\n
It was Mills on the winning side again, improving to 3-0 as he helped the Texans engineer a 23-19 upset victory over the Buffalo Bills. After beginning the game 1 for 8 for 10 yards during a frustrating first quarter filled with misfired overthrows from Mills and dropped passes, he heated up. He completed 10 of 13 throws for 112 yards and two touchdown passes to Jayden Higgins and Christian Kirk and finished the game 16 of 30 for 153 yards and a 90.0 passer rating.<\/p>\n
Now, it\u2019s back to Stroud after he passes the concussion protocol this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavis came in, did his thing,\u201d Collins told KPRC 2 on Friday night. \u201cCame in, led the way we all knew he was going to do, and my guy went 3-0, man. Love that. But I\u2019m glad 7 is back. Get ready for Indy. Big division game, and on the road from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, the football goes back to Stroud, who missed the last three games with a concussion. Stroud will take over as the starter again next week against the AFC South leading Indianapolis Colts. There is no competition, or controversy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my current situation I don\u2019t think there is a competition,\u201d Mills said. \u201cC.J. is the starter for this team. I\u2019m just doing everything I can to bring my best foot forward every day, make everyone else around me better and try to provide and play my role to my best ability when I get thrown in there.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was coming over to me and giving me pointers if he saw something throughout the game when I was coming back to the bench. Extremely supportive, definitely ready to be back. He wants to get back, you can tell he\u2019s itching to get back out there on the field, but he was great all night.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Stroud was on the sidelines, encouraging his teammates along with Mills. <\/p>\n
The former Pro Bowl selection and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year returned to practice Tuesday and is now on track to be the starter again.<\/p>\n
\u201cC.J., it was great to see him back out there,\u201d Ryans said. \u201cHe was back at practice. Just to see him back around the guys with a huge smile on his face, him feeling well, that\u2019s the most important thing. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen our guys are in the concussion protocol, I want to make sure they\u2019re healthy and they\u2019re well. That\u2019s the one thing I\u2019m most happy to see. He\u2019s well, he\u2019s himself and ready to get back to football.\u201d<\/p>\n
The offense hit a wall in the second half, but still won the game behind a ferocious defensive effort with eight sacks and two interceptions against reigning NFL Most Valuable Player quarterback Josh Allen.<\/p>\n
Mills didn\u2019t turn the football over and wasn\u2019t sacked during the big win as the offensive line did a great job of protecting him. At times, it was as if Mills had all night to identify his targets downfield. Although he\u2019s not an outwardly emotional person, Mills enjoyed the luxury of extra time.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I get excited,\u201d Mills said. \u201cA lot of times I just don\u2019t show it. I\u2019m focused on my job in the moment. It\u2019s kind of hard to display all my emotions. Taking zero sacks, I can assure you that my body feels drastically better than it has in some other games and in my football playing history. <\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Those guys did a hell of a job tonight protecting and I was able to find people open or get the ball out if I needed to early on. I think our offensive has shown to get better each and every week. I think those guys will keep progressing as we keep going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
After missing some throws, including a deep ball to tight end Dalton Schultz and a throw perhaps delivered with too much heat to Kirk in the end zone, Mills got into a groove in the second quarter.<\/p>\n
There were 24-yard and 19-yard strikes to Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins. He found Kirk on a 33-yard play that led up to his touchdown to Higgins, a rookie drafted in the second round out of Iowa State.<\/p>\n
The entire offense, including Mills stalled out after halftime. He went 5 of 9 for 31 yards and no scores but he took care of the football. His second touchdown proved to be the game-winner.<\/p>\n
Mills did everything the Texans could hope for as the stand-in for Stroud. He engineered comeback victories over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. He ran for the game-winning touchdown on a scramble against the Jaguars. He set up the game-winning field goal against the Titans with a long drive that included a clutch 3rd-and-16 pass to Collins to keep the offense rolling.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavis has been phenomenal for us these past couple of weeks,\u201d Ryans said. \u201cComing in, especially on a short week, not getting a ton of full-speed reps, the timing of throwing the football is affected a little bit. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he weathered the storm and he handled himself well. Even though we had some passes there we would have liked to connect on, he still stayed steady, still stayed calm as he always does, keeping everybody calm on the sideline.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mills did his job in exemplary fashion.<\/p>\n
The former third-round draft pick from Stanford, a starter until Stroud arrived, has completed 58.9 percent of his throws for 856 yards, five touchdowns and one interception for an 84.2 passer rating. He passed for 292 yards and 274 yards against the Jaguars and Titans.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been great,\u201d Mills said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I want to reflect too much on it middle of the season. We got a long road ahead of us if we want to do what we\u2019re capable of and what we\u2019re planning to do. Just grateful for the opportunity. <\/p>\n
\u201cI come into work every day, love my teammates, love my coaches and it\u2019s fun to get back out there on the field and do what you love. I\u2019ve been dreaming of being in this situation since I started football when I was six years old. Every day I\u2019m just living out that childhood dream and going out there and having fun with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
NOTES: Offensive tackle Trent Brown was limited again with a broken finger.<\/p>\n
Defensive end Denico Autry returned to practice from a lingering knee injury and was limited. Offensive tackle Blake Fisher returned to practice on a limited basis from an illness.<\/p>\n
Cornerback Ajani Carter (hamstring) and linebacker Jamal Hill (hamstring) didn\u2019t practice again and are expected to miss the game and potentially return next week for a road game against the Kansas City Chiefs.<\/p>\n