Latest C.J. Stroud Injury Update Impacts Bills vs. Texans Odds for Thursday Night Football

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has been ruled out for Week 12 against the Buffalo Bills due to a concussion.

Stroud suffered the injury in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos, and he's set to miss his third game in a row. The former No. 2 overall pick was still experiencing concussion symptoms last week, which made it extremely tough for him to play in a quick turnaround on Thursday night.

From @GMFB: #Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers won't practice today, but is trying to play Sunday; #Texans QB CJ Stroud was ruled out for TNF; #Bengals QB Joe Burrow is set for another week of practice. pic.twitter.com/W3mgjKMAsJ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 19, 2025

All week long, oddsmakers have shifted the odds for this game towards the Bills. After Houston opened as a 3.5-point underdog at home, DraftKings has now moved the Texans to six-point underdogs in this matchup. On Tuesday, oddsmakers had moved Houston from a 3.5-point underdog to a 5.5-point underdog with Stroud's status up in the air. Now that he's out, the line has moved anther half point in favor of Buffalo.

Stroud did return to practice in a limited fashion on Tuesday, a step in the right direction for his chances of playing in Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts. But, in Week 12, the Texans will turn to backup Davis Mills under center.

Oddsmakers clearly don't have a ton of faith in Mills and the 5-5 Texans to beat a playoff teams like Buffalo (7-3 this season), even at home. This spread has nearly doubled since opening, even though Mills is 2-0 as a starter this season.

Mills has done a solid job filling in the last few weeks, completing 60.0 percent of his passes for 726 yards, three touchdowns and just one pick across four games in the 2025 campaign. He led the Texans to wins against Jacksonville and Tennessee, although both games were decided in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter.

The Texans are hoping that Stroud will be able to return for the stretch run to give them a fighting chance to make the playoffs in the AFC. This season, Stroud has completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 1,702 yards, 11 scores and five picks in eight games.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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