DeMeco Ryans Speaks on C.J. Stroud's Injury in Texans-Broncos

The Houston Texans saw their starting quarterback go down early against the Denver Broncos.

Nov 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) drops to throw during the first half against the Denver Broncos at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sean Thomas-Imagn Images / Sean Thomas-Imagn Images

In the midst of the Houston Texans' Week 9 loss vs. the Denver Broncos, perhaps an even bigger storyline than the end result was how the day ended for quarterback C.J. Stroud.

At the top of the second quarter, Stroud would go down with a concussion following a scramble, taken down by Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, which would sideline Houston's star quarterback for the remainder of the contest, elevate Davis Mills for the rest of the day, and wound up coming up short 15-18.

#Texans QB CJ Stroud went down in a lot of pain. Was able to get up and walk off with the help of trainers: pic.twitter.com/3eMx8lEjAu

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) November 2, 2025

A far from optimal result for the Texans looking to capitalize on a big opportunity at the midway point of the year, and for head coach DeMeco Ryans, it's a bit harder to stomach when feeling like Stroud fell victim to an unnecessary roughness flag that was never called.

"C.J. scrambled, he slid, and the guy, you know, came up and hit him. As I see it, it's unnecessary roughness, and he hit the quarterback when he's sliding and giving himself up," Ryans said post-game. "If I'm incorrect on the rule, I've seen that happen multiple times with our guys and we get the penalty, but for some reason, it just didn't didn't happen there."

"
At the end of the day, we lost our we lost our starting quarterback because of the play. And anytime you lose your starting quarterback, it's always tough. Davis [Mills] battled to do a good job there, battle. But, we just didn't do well offensively once we lost C.J."

DeMeco Ryans Not Making Excuses for C.J. Stroud's Injury

Nov 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans during the second half against the Denver Broncos at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sean Thomas-Imagn Images / Sean Thomas-Imagn Images

Mills, in place of Stroud, came up to the plate to complete 17 of his total 30 passes for 137 yards, but it wouldn't be enough to get the Texans and Ryans' group over the hump.

Stroud wasn't the only guy to go down with a game-ending injury either. Two of the Texans' starting offensive linemen, right tackle Tytus Howard and right guard Ed Ingram, also saw their days come to an end early, and thus, made the day a bit more challenging for the Texans to navigate.

Even still, Ryans won't make excuses for his group. The bottom line is that the Texans didn't do enough to put together a winning formula against a stout Broncos operation, and now drop to a rough 3-5 on the season.

"A lot of guys went down. It's easy to stand up here and make excuses about, like, at the end of the day, I truly believe like that happens all across the league all the time. And you don't make excuses about who's in the game or who's not in the game. We still had an opportunity there to close the game out and win it, right? It's just a matter of, man, are you remaining disciplined in the moment? 
Are you playing the way you're supposed to play doing the things you need to do to win the game?"

"Everybody has to pull their weight. No matter who you are, when you get your opportunity, right, to play in that game. 
You suit up, you have to be ready to go out and execute and play good football."

Now with Stroud's status in question moving forward, it could leave Mills in line to start at least one more game, which would lie in Week 10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium.

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• Seven Takeaways From Texans' Gut-Wrenching Loss to Broncos
• Texans Lose Starting OT to Head Injury vs. Broncos
• Texans QB C.J. Stroud Exits Game vs. Broncos With Scary Injury
• 3 Bold Predictions for Texans' Week 9 Clash vs. Broncos
• How to Watch, Stream Texans vs. Broncos Week 9 Matchup