One day after pulling off one of the biggest comebacks in franchise history, the status of some key starters for the Houston Texans was revealed by head coach DeMeco Ryans at his press conference. Ryans told the reporters present that quarterback C.J. Stroud, offensive lineman Tytus Howard, and defensive back Jalen Pitre were still in the concussion protocol.
“We’ll see how they progress throughout the week,” said Ryans.
All three players experienced concussion-like symptoms during the Texans’ Week 9 loss to the Denver Broncos, which ended in an 18-15 final score.
With practice resuming on Wednesday in preparation for the matchup against the Tennessee Titans, the players will have an opportunity to meet the requirements of practicing two days without showing any symptoms and being cleared by an independent physician.
If the players are unable to go, Houston will rely on the plethora of reserves they used against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, led by backup quarterback Davis Mills, who led the Texans on a miraculous 19-point comeback in the fourth quarter to defeat the Jaguars 36-29.
Mills finished the game by completing 27 of his 45 passes for 292 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. However, it was his 14-yard rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter that gave the Texans their first lead of the game and set up the defense to close it out.
A sack and forced fumble by Will Anderson Jr., recovered by Sheldon Rankins and returned 32 yards for a touchdown, ignited pandemonium inside NRG Stadium.
“I think the whole team had faith we were going to win that game the entire time,” Mills said after the game on Sunday. “Like I said before, I think our team is very confident in our own abilities. We have a lot of players who can make plays. We just needed to get things clicking.”
One positive sign for the Texans, who sit just outside playoff contention with a 4-5 record, was that Stroud, Howard, and Pitre were all present in the locker room on Monday but were not available to the media.
Along with the potential return of Howard, Houston might also get some help on the offensive line, as right guard Ed Ingram is scheduled to return to practice this week after suffering a left knee injury against the Broncos last week. The makeshift line used against Jacksonville included only two starters: rookie left tackle Aireontae Ersery and center Jake Andrews.