The Houston Texans will be without star quarterback C.J. Stroud when they take on the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, as the 24-year-old remains in the concussion protocol.

Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud took a major step in his recovery process after missing the last two games.

According to ESPN's D.J. Bien-Aime, Stroud is anticipated to return to practice for the Texans on Tuesday following his two-week absence due to being in concussion protocol, which gives him a chance to be activated before Thursday Night Football against the Bills.

C.J. Stroud will miss Week 12 as the Houston Texans face the Buffalo Bills on “Thursday Night Football,” but his return appears imminent.

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.

C.J. Stroud keeps watching. It's a bummer for Houston, but it's the spot they find themselves in. Mills led a heroic comeback in Week 10, and they'll hope he can lead them past the lowly Titans this week.

With Houston in desperation mode, they would want any and all available weapons ready to get this one. However, CJ Stroud is out for a second straight game after a concussion against Denver. In his place,