Davis

Mills

After downing the Jaguars and Titans in his first two starts, Mills got a much tougher matchup on Thursday night against the Bills, but did just enough to will his team to a third-straight win. In what was easily his worst start of the season, Mills and the Texans converted only 2-of-12 third down tries, but a 24-yard pass to Nico Collins in the second quarter helped set the Texans up for their first touchdown on the night, which came on a two-yard reception by Christian Kirk, and Mills would later complete passes of 19 and 33 yards on a drive that ended with an eight-yard score by Jayden Higgins. Mills was solid in his three starts, throwing for 719-5-1 while keeping the Texans in the thick of the playoff race. He’ll likely head back to the bench for Week 13’s game against the Colts, with C.J. Stroud (concussion) expected to return, but Mills proved to be more than serviceable after making multiple starts for the first time since the 2022 season.

Stroud is expected to return to practice Wednesday but has almost no chance to suit up Thursday night against the Bills, almost three weeks after suffering his head injury. Davis Mills will be in line to get another start for Houston. Over the past two weeks, Mills is fifth among all quarterbacks in passing yards, with three touchdown to one interception. He ranks 19th in accuracy over those two weeks. Mills will remain a decent superflex option in Week 12 against a suspect Buffalo defense.

Something similar was reported on Sunday morning, but speaking on Monday, Ryans confirmed that Stroud may not return this week. The Texans’ QB1 remains in the league’s concussion protocol, but the Texans playing on Thursday night only adds to the complications. Stroud has missed two straight games due to his concussion, but the Texans have managed to go 2-0 in his absence with Davis Mills under center. Mills has thrown for 566 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in his two starts this season, but shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a desperation play in 2QB/superflex leads if he draws the start. Ryans said S Jalen Pitre, who is also in the concussion protocol, is uncertain for Thursday night’s game.

Mills’ mobility was more exposed in this one with the Titans able to generate significantly higher pressure amounts than the Jaguars did last week, leading to four sacks and a zero-point first half. But with the run offense struggling, it was Mills who led the Texans down the field for their lone touchdown drive, and Mills who threaded a sideline 18-yarder to Nico Collins on third-and-long that all but sealed the win. Assuming he gets the start on a short turnaround against the Bills on TNF, Mills will be firmly on the superflex QB2 line.

Stroud missed last week’s game because of the brain injury, didn’t practice at all this week, and will once again be on the sidelines today. His progress through the league’s concussion protocol has been predictably slow, given the aggressive hit he took in Week 9. The Texans take on the Bills on Thursday next week, giving Stroud a short turnaround to his next game. It sounds like Davis Mills will draw the start for that contest as well.

Texans QB C.J. Stroud (concussion) has officially been ruled out despite one practice remaining this week. Stroud reportedly remains symptomatic after suffering a concussion in Week 9 and has not yet returned to practice. Mills amazingly finished as the overall QB3 in Week 3 against the Jaguars, scoring three touchdowns, including one on the ground. He is unlikely to repeat the feat again, though the Titans’ soft defense should allow him to play efficiently. He is a QB2. Mills is currently practicing in full through a left elbow injury.

NBC Houston’s Aaron Wilson notes that Stroud is still experiencing concussion-related symptoms. Backup QB Davis Mills is getting ready to start for the second straight game in Week 11 against the Titans. The Texans could end up with a run-heavy game script here, so Mills may not be needed to engineer another improbably good showing, though the Titans’ defense certainly could provide him with opportunities to make plays.

C.J. Stroud is still experiencing concussion symptoms and remains in the league’s protocol. He did not practice Wednesday. Mills threw for 292 yards and two scores in an upset win over the Jags last week. He also ran for 30 yards and a game-winning touchdown. Mills won’t be asked to do nearly as much against the lowly Titans this week. He will slot in as a low-end QB2 for Week 11.

He added three carries for 30 yards and another touchdown — a scramble on third-and-goal with less than a minute left that gave the Texans their first lead of the game. The Texans were dead to rights in this game, down 29-10 with a minute left in the third quarter, then reeled off 20 straight points to take the lead and won the game on a walkoff pick-six by Sheldon Rankins. We’d like to tell you that this was a marked change of play — and Mills did make some nice throws — but largely the Jaguars got kicked around up front by the Texans and Mills was able to take sideline curls and middle-of-the-field throws with aplomb. We imagine he’ll remain on the low end of the QB2 superflex discussion in Week 11 against the Titans — assuming C.J. Stroud doesn’t clear concussion protocol by then — but this was much more ceiling than we imagined Mills to have today.

With Houston playing on Thursday night next week, it’s possible that Mills parlays C.J. Stroud’s concussion into a few starts here. Mills is a bottom-rung superflex streamer with this offensive infrastructure, but he’s probably preferable to quarterbacks at the true bottom like Tyler Shough and Cam Ward against the Jaguars in Week 10.