Report: C.J. Stroud Has Not Yet Cleared Concussion Protocol
HOUSTON, TX -- The Houston Texans managed to find a way to earn a tough win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon, narrowly coming out with a 19-16 overtime win in Nashville.
Even more impressively, is the fact that they did so without their star rookie quarterback, C.J. Stroud, who missed the game with a concussion he suffered in Week 14 in the Texans' loss to the Jets at MetLife Stadium.
However, according to reports from KPRC, Stroud has yet to be cleared from concussion protocol ahead of the team's Week 16 showdown with the Cleveland Browns.
And while Stroud has been making progress, it appears that he is still suffering from symptoms of the concussion, throwing his status for the game into doubt.
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Should Stroud indeed be unable to go vs. the Browns, KPRC also reports that veteran Case Keenum would earn his second straight start in place of the rookie.
In his previous start against the Titans, Keenum was able to manage the game well, completing 23 of 36 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown. That said, he did struggle at times throughout the day, and even threw a nearly disastrous pick-six in the first half.
Despite that, he was able to lead the Texans to a come-from-behind win, after trailing 13-0 late in the second quarter.
Unfortunately for the Texans, the Browns and their No. 1 ranked total bring a far more daunting challenge to the field than the Titans, giving up just 261 yards and 20.6 points per game. They are also top-10 in the NFL in takeaways and tied for fifth in the NFL in interceptions.
And with their playoff hopes on the line, facing that kind of defense with a backup QB, no matter how savvy he may be, is not an ideal situation.
