Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has cleared concussion protocol and will return to the starting lineup against the Colts on Sunday.
He was a full participant all week.
Stroud was injured in the team’s Week 9 loss to the Broncos. Davis Mills started all three games Stroud missed, and the Texans won all three to get back into the AFC playoff picture.
Safety Jalen Pitre (concussion) also will return after missing the past three games. He has no injury designation.
Defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who missed Thursday’s practice with a chest injury, returned to a limited practice on Friday and will play Sunday. He has no injury designation.
The Texans ruled out cornerback Ajani Carter (hamstring) and linebacker Jamal Hill (hamstring). Neither player practiced all week.
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones fully participated in Friday’s practice and has no injury designation, coach Shane Steichen said. Jones will start Sunday’s game against the Texans with a fibula injury.
“He’s good to go,” Steichen said, via Mike Chappell of Fox 59. “Having talked with doctors, we would never put him in harm’s way. He’s ready to go.”
Steichen would not confirm that Jones has a fracture in his leg.
Jones was limited on Wednesday but returned to full participation on Friday.
Jones said Thursday , via Stephen Holder of ESPN, that the injury was the result of “something that kind of was hanging over, and realized it last week. Just been trying to get treatment and make sure I’m in the best spot I can be.”
“I’m all good,” Jones said. “I’ll be ready to go on Sunday. Obviously, I was out there last week. I’m good to go.”
Riley Leonard is the team’s backup quarterback.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has already earned a first-ballot bronze bust. But he surely wants more.
This year, more may not be in the cards.
A Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys has dropped the Chiefs to 6-6, with five games to play. While they’re not officially done, they may have to run the table in order to get an invitation to the playoff party.
The remaining schedule looks like this: Texans, Chargers, at Titans, Broncos, at Raiders. Two games should be easy wins. As to the other three, who knows?
“If we’re gonna make the playoffs,” Mahomes told reporters after the game, “we’re gonna have to win them all.”
Winning out will definitely make it easier; an 11-6 finish should be good enough to get one of the seven AFC postseason spots. The problem becomes tiebreakers. They’ve lost to the Chargers, Jaguars, Bills, and Broncos. A tie for the seventh spot with any of them will knock the Chiefs out.
The Week 5 Monday night loss in Jacksonville could come back to haunt the Chiefs. If the Jaguars beat the Titans on Sunday, they’ll have a two-game lead over the Chiefs, along with a tiebreaker fueled by the bizarre play from quarterback Trevor Lawrence, where he fell down twice before running in for a game-winning touchdown.
Again, the Chiefs are still alive. But these Chiefs look nothing like the Chiefs have looked since 2018.
Those Chiefs wouldn’t be 6-6. And those Chiefs would have found a way to beat the Cowboys today.
It appears the Texans will have both quarterback C.J. Stroud and safety Jalen Pitre back on the field this week.
Both players remain in concussion protocol but are moving closer to a return.
Stroud had a second consecutive full practice and awaits clearance from an independent neurologist. Pitre returned to full participation on Thursday after being limited Wednesday.
Both players missed the past three games after being diagnosed in the loss to the Broncos.
The Texans added defensive end Will Anderson to the practice report on Thursday as a non-participant with a chest injury.
Cornerback Ajani Carter (hamstring) and linebacker Jamal Hill (hamstring) remained out of practcie.
Defensive end Denico Autry (knee) and offensive tackle Blake Fisher (illness) returned to limited work. Offensive tackle Trent Brown (hand) remained limited.
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones landed on the injury report last week with a fibula injury and it’s reportedly an injury he will continue to deal with for a while.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Jones has a fracture in his fibula. Jones plans to play against the Texans this week and to continue playing through the injury in the weeks to come.
The Colts listed Jones as limited in Wednesday’s practice, but will reportedly be listed as a full participant on Thursday. James Boyd of TheAthletic.com reports that Jones did not take all of the reps in the portion of practice open to the media, however, and that the quarterback did not “look as fluid or fast as normal” while going through drills.
Jones said on Wednesday that he does not know exactly when the injury occurred. He was 19-of-31 for 181 yards and two touchdowns last Sunday, but the Colts failed to pick up a first down on their final four possessions of a 23-20 overtime loss.
