The Houston Texans have won three consecutive games with backup quarterback Davis Mills under center, and fans think C.J. Stroud is experiencing some mixed emotions about that.
Stroud has missed the last three games after he suffered a concussion in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos. Houston lost that game, but Mills has gone 3-0 as a starter since. The former third-round pick led the Texans to a surprising 23-19 win over the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The Texans are now 6-5 and squarely in the playoff hunt in the AFC. Many fans have been making jokes about how Stroud is feeling now that Houston’s offense looks better without him and the team is winning games. Others noted that the Texans might be better off without Stroud at the moment.
CJ Stroud watching Davis Mills pic.twitter.com/hkJfyVOG55
— BearsShowYo (@BearsShowYo) November 21, 2025
CJ STROUD https://t.co/cNd3w8QbIk pic.twitter.com/sgaY210Gvl
— Vandal (@BEEHIGHB) November 21, 2025
Davis Mills proving that CJ Stroud is mid. Idk how you bench Mills for Stroud when he’s on a 3 game winning streak 🤷🏻♂️ clearly a better team rn pic.twitter.com/LtAlA79vul
— ChargersWorld (@ChargersWorld) November 21, 2025
CJ Stroud watching Davis Mills take his job pic.twitter.com/6Av3vZ9Yig
— betr (@betr) November 21, 2025
Stroud was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. He finished the year with 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He then regressed last season and struggled with turnovers, throwing 20 touchdown passes compared to 12 interceptions.
The Texans’ offense has not looked great with Stroud in 2025, either. Stroud has 1,702 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in 8 games. More importantly, Houston was 3-5 in the games he started and did not look like a playoff team.
Stroud at his best is still better than Mills, but it is hard to bench a quarterback who has led a team to three straight wins. If Stroud is cleared for Week 13, head coach DeMeco Ryans may have a difficult decision to make.
