Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was ruled out of Sunday's 18-15 loss to the Denver Broncos due to a concussion he suffered early in the second quarter.
Stroud sustained a big collision at the end of a 6-yard scramble, with the back of his head hitting the turf following a hit from Broncos defensive back Kris Abrams-Draine as the QB was attempting to slide. There was no flag on the play.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said after the game that Abrams-Daine should have been flagged for unnecessary roughness.
"He hit the quarterback when he's sliding and giving himself up," Ryans explained. "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 happen there."
The Texans QB was tended to on the field by the team's medical staff as teammates surrounded him. He was escorted to the blue medical tent before going to the locker room.
Stroud was ruled out as the second half began after initially being deemed questionable to return upon his early second-quarter exit.
"At the end of the day, we lost our starting quarterback because of the play," Ryans said. "Anytime you lose your starting quarterback, it's tough."
Davis Mills entered the game for Stroud with 13:30 remaining in the first half and with the Texans holding a 3-0 lead.
Stroud was 6-for-10 passing for 79 yards at the time of his exit. Mills finished 17-of-30 passing for 137 yards.
"I thought Davis battled, tried to do a good job there, he battled," Ryans said, "but it just didn't do well offensively once we lost C.J."
Houston (3-5) hosts the Jaguars next Sunday.
