The Texans very well may have beaten the Broncos if C.J. Stroud had played more than 16 minutes, but he didn’t.
Stroud was diagnosed with a concussion after a slide when a hit by Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine slammed the quarterback’s head into the ground. Officials threw a flag for unnecessary roughness.
Replay reversed the on-field decision, deciding that the slide was late and that Abrams-Draine didn’t make contact with Stroud’s head.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans was understandably confused about the decision, saying it absolutely was unnecessary roughness.
“He hit the quarterback when he was sliding and giving himself up,” Ryans said, via DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. “If I’m incorrect on the rules, I’ve seen that happen multiple times with our guys, and we get the penalty.”
Stroud left with 13:49 remaining in the second quarter, going 6-of-10 for 79 yards.
Stroud missed two games with a concussion as a rookie in 2023.
