The Houston Texans host the Buffalo Bills on “Thursday Night Football” in a short-week matchup that’s starting to feel like a must-win. With the Indianapolis Colts leading the AFC South at 8-2 and the Texans sitting in third at 5-5, the odds are heavily stacked against them winning the division, meaning a Wild Card berth might be the only way to sneak into the playoffs. Unfortunately, that means they’d have to beat out teams like the Bills (7-3), Los Angeles Chargers (7-4), Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4), Kansas City Chiefs (5-5), or Baltimore Ravens (5-5), a tall task for a team that again won’t have its franchise QB. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that C. J. Stroud has been ruled out for Thursday’s contest against Buffalo, handing the reins over to fifth-year veteran Davis Mills for the third straight week. An unfortunate development, given that many had presumed Stroud would have cleared concussion protocol by now. Read More: Raiders’ Pete Carroll Sends Strong Message to Geno Smith After Cowboys Loss Drafted No. 2 overall in 2023 out of Ohio State, Stroud won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, throwing for 4, 108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just five interceptions with a 100. 8 passer rating. Since then, his numbers have dipped: just 3, 727 yards, 20 TDs, and 12 INTs in 2024 (87. 0 passer rating), and now 1, 702 passing yards, 11 TDs, and five INTs across eight games this season (93. 4 passer rating). Nevertheless, he remains a franchise cornerstone for a team that just two years ago made it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Read More: Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer Addresses CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens Decision Stroud suffered a concussion in Week 9 after a hard hit against the Denver Broncos; he entered and has remained in the NFL concussion protocol ever since. Mills has started in Stroud’s absence and produced steady performances: in four appearances, he has 726 passing yards, three TDs, one INT, and an 82. 2 passer rating, including back-to-back 270‑yard‑plus games that resulted in Texans wins. While Mills has proven he can step in when needed, Stroud raises the Texans’ offensive ceiling significantly, which makes Thursday’s game against a top-ranked offense like Buffalo (averaging 387. 4 total yards per game) all the more worrisome. Sportsbooks currently list the Bills as 3. 5-point favorites with a 43. 5-point over/under on the road in NRG Stadium.
https://www.newsweek.com/sports/nfl/texans-announce-devastating-cj-stroud-decision-before-bills-game-11069169
Tag Archives: Kansas City Chiefs
Loser of the Ravens-Chiefs matchup faces difficult road to Super Bowl contention
The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens entered the season with Super Bowl-or-bust goals. One of them will be 1-3 after this week’s matchup—unless the game ends in a tie.
Coming off a 38-30 loss at home to Detroit on Monday night, Baltimore will travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs on Sunday in a critical showdown for both teams. Historically, only the 2001 New England Patriots have started 1-3 and gone on to win the Super Bowl, underscoring the challenge ahead for the losing side.
“I feel like the way we performed was a hole; a huge hole, but it’s still the beginning of the season,” Lamar Jackson said after being sacked seven times by the Lions. “We have a lot of work to do, and we just have to execute.”
This Sunday’s game will feature a unique quarterback duel. According to NFL research, the Jackson-Mahomes matchup will be the first between multiple-time MVP quarterbacks in which both entered the game with losing records for the season. It also marks the first time multi-time MVP QBs face off with a combined record below .500.
### AFC Struggles Continue
The AFC is off to a surprisingly slow start this year. Only six teams in the conference hold a winning record, including just three playoff qualifiers from last season: the Buffalo Bills (3-0), Los Angeles Chargers (3-0), and Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1).
In contrast, all seven NFL playoff teams from the NFC in 2024 currently boast winning records, joined by three additional clubs. Except for the Houston Texans (0-3)—two-time defending AFC South champions—no team truly needs to panic yet.
Houston is in a particularly difficult spot, trailing division rivals Indianapolis (3-0) and Jacksonville (2-1), both playing well early on.
Despite Baltimore’s tough road ahead, Bet MGM Sportsbook still ranks the Ravens with the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl, trailing only Philadelphia. The Bills currently lead the betting odds, while the Eagles (3-0) and Packers (2-1) are tied for third. Interestingly, Philadelphia’s odds dropped slightly even as the Eagles remain undefeated.
### Quarterback Carousel Heating Up
The NFL trade deadline isn’t until November 4, but some teams are already eyeing quarterback options.
The New York Giants could be contacted about Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston, as rookie Jaxson Dart has taken the lead role there. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals, who went 4-3 with Jake Browning filling in for an injured Joe Burrow last season, suffered their worst loss in franchise history—a 48-10 defeat against Minnesota.
Browning is familiar with coach Zac Taylor’s offense, but Russell Wilson might bring a spark, especially throwing to top receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Wilson notably threw for 450 yards against the Cowboys in Week 2, indicating he could be productive if moved.
### Throw Eagles Throw
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts had zero touchdown passes in the first 10 quarters of the season before the Eagles fell behind the Rams by 19 points. The offense then opened up dramatically.
Hurts completed 17 of 24 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns in the second half, helping Philadelphia secure a 33-26 victory, capped by Jordan Davis’ blocked field goal.
Why was the passing attack stagnant early on?
“We want to be the aggressive person, right? The word this past week for the offense when I spoke to the offense was ‘attack,’” offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo explained. “We want to be in attack mode, and going into the game, that was what we wanted to do. The first drive was a good drive. We went for it on fourth down, we threw the ball down into the red zone at the goal lines. We were in attack mode.
“We got stuck in those weird situations where we just couldn’t get it out of there and get it going. And then the second half, obviously, we had to play a little bit differently, but we were able to get it going.”
### Rookie Bond
Texans rookie wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel have developed a close friendship dating back to their time at Iowa State. Their tight-knit relationship has only grown stronger since Houston selected Higgins in the second round and Noel in the third round of the NFL Draft.
The duo shares a love of fishing and started a “J&JFishinn” TikTok channel while in college. Although their NFL careers demand their full attention now, they still hope to find time to fish whenever possible.
In the first three games, Higgins has recorded four catches for 65 yards, while Noel has two receptions for 11 yards.
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