A 30-6 loss to the New York Jets wasn’t the worst thing to happen to the Houston Texans on Sunday. C.J. Stroud left the game late with a possible injury.
The quarterback’s head hit the turf hard after Quinnen Williams slammed him down. Stroud already threw the ball before getting leveled by Williams, but officials didn’t call roughing the passer.
Here’s a look at the play where Stroud got hurt:
This is the play CJ Stroud was hurt on. pic.twitter.com/IVWzdzbY2H
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) December 10, 2023
Defenders have gotten penalized for far less egregious hits this season. In fact, Williams was called for roughing on a light shove to Stroud earlier in the game.
Quinnen Williams called for roughing the passer on CJ Stroud. pic.twitter.com/IPOrWcYeYJ
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 10, 2023
The team said Stroud was under evaluation for a concussion. Davis Mills replaced him after the fourth-quarter incident and finished the game.
The Texans entered Sunday tied for an AFC wild-card spot after winning three of their previous four games. Stroud oversaw a swift turnaround by posting a 101.2 quarterback rating through a 7-5 start for a franchise that won three games last season.
But Stroud had the roughest day of his brilliant rookie season against a stout Jets defense. The No. 2 pick completed 10 of 23 passes for 91 yards and four sacks.
Meanwhile, Zach Wilson surprisingly amassed a season-high 301 passing yards with two touchdowns.
The Texans are now one of four AFC seeds jousting for the final two playoff seeds at 7-6, and the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills can join them with wins in the late-afternoon slate.
Sunday’s loss doesn’t detail Houston’s playoff chances, but Stroud missing time certainly could. Head coach DeMeco Ryans said after the game that Stroud is in the concussion protocol, putting his Week 15 availability into question.
The Texans play one of their two December matchups with the Tennessee Titans next Sunday.