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Stephen A.: The Texans can win the AFC (1:50)
Stephen A. Smith explains why he's more encouraged by the Texans than the Bills as the AFC playoffs loom. (1:50)
DJ Bien-AimeNov 28, 2025, 01:48 PM ET
- DJ Bien-Aime covers the Houston Texans for ESPN. He joined ESPN in July of 2022 after covering the New York Jets for the New York Daily News. He's a former athlete who finished his college career at Louisville. You can catch DJ on ESPN Radio on his show "Talkin' Texans."
HOUSTON -- Texans coach DeMeco Ryans announced Friday that quarterback C.J. Stroud has cleared the concussion protocol and will start Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
Stroud suffered a concussion against the Denver Broncos in Week 9 and has missed three games. The Texans lost only the Broncos game during Stroud's absence while going undefeated in backup quarterback Davis Mills' three starts, which included two game-winning drives against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. Mills threw for 879 passing yards with five touchdowns and only one interception in his stint.
The Texans going 3-0 in Stroud's absence put them squarely in the AFC playoff race. Houston (6-5) is the No. 8 seed trailing the Buffalo Bills (7-4), who they beat 23-19 in Week 12, for the final AFC wild-card spot. The Texans are only two games behind the Colts (8-3) and one behind the Jaguars (7-4) in the AFC South.
Last week's win over the Bills could be vital down the stretch as Houston has the head-to-head tiebreaker in the wild-card race over Buffalo, which trails the New England Patriots by 2.5 games in the AFC East.
The Texans still don't have much room for error as they have only a 38% chance to make the playoffs, per ESPN Analytics. Making the playoffs would take a historic feat to defy the odds.
Since the NFL expanded to a 14-team playoff format, 19 teams started 0-3 and only one made the playoffs. Ironically, the 2018 Texans were the only team to ever do it, and it was before the expansion to 14 teams.
The Texans also will have their high-paid safety Jalen Pitre back, who missed three games with a concussion. Pitre's return will boost a Houston defense that is already one of the league's best. The Texans have allowed the fewest yards per game (264.3) and the second-fewest points per game (16.5) this season.
