CJ Stroud couldn’t be coming back at a more critical moment for Houston. The Texans head into a road matchup against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13, and the stakes are pretty obvious. Stroud steps in with pressure already built in, mainly because Davis Mills didn’t just survive the last three weeks; he kept the Texans’ playoff chances alive and showed he can run the offense when needed.

That naturally raises a bigger, more analytical question: with Stroud returning, what happens to Mills’ momentum? Does he fade back into the background, or does Houston now treat him as a genuine safety net? J.J. Watt, who’s in Indianapolis this week, got asked that exact thing, and his answer hits the situation right on the nose.

“I mean, he’s (Stroud) the quarterback,” Watt said. “Davis Mills did a great job. He’s 3-0. He got this ship kind of right. It was very efficient with what he did. But CJ Stroud is the Houston Texans’ franchise quarterback. So having him back out there is great for them, and they’re gonna need it against the Colts team, who obviously is the number one offense in the league, going against that number one defense in Houston.”

Mills did exactly what was expected from him in the last three weeks. Right after Stroud went down with a concussion in Week 9, the backup quarterback stepped in and led the Texans on a 3-0 winning streak. It all started in Week 10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Mills did everything you could reasonably ask from a backup. He went 27-of-45 for 292 yards and two touchdowns while engineering a 19-point fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Jaguars 36–29. He carried that momentum straight into Week 11, throwing for 274 yards and a touchdown in a gritty 16–13 road win over the Tennessee Titans.

But the biggest swing came last week, when he helped Houston pull off a 23–19 upset over the Buffalo Bills. The stat line wasn’t flashy. We’re talking about 16-of-30 for 153 yards and two touchdowns. But it was enough to lock in a third straight win and keep the Texans firmly in the playoff mix.

However, the reality remained unchanged. Mills was the backup. So the moment CJ Stroud was healthy, the move was inevitable. The Texans handed the job right back to their franchise quarterback. JJ Watt saw it coming. DeMeco Ryans saw it coming. And even Mills saw it coming, too.

CJ Stroud cleared concussion protocol to return after three weeks

Ahead of the Colts’ matchup, DeMeco Ryans announced that the Texans’ franchise quarterback has cleared the concussion protocol and is healthy to play against Indy on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium. Stroud went down with a concussion in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos when Denver’s cornerback, Kris Abrams-Draine, hit him while sliding. The quarterback was forced to miss the rest of the game and, subsequently, the next three matchups as well. However, his return against the Colts was inevitable.

Just last week, against the Bills, cameras caught Stroud on the sidelines, talking to his teammates and giving Mills pointers whenever he could. And now, just a few days later, he’s the one lining up under center against the Colts. There was some real debate about who should start once Stroud got healthy, especially with the way Mills kept Houston afloat. But inside the building, there was never any confusion.

“C.J. is the starter for this team,” Mills said last week. “I’m just doing everything I can to bring my best foot forward every day, make everyone else around me better and try to provide and play my role to my best ability when I get thrown in there.”

While sitting at 6-5, the Texans have a 38% chance to make the playoffs. And if they manage to sweep the Colts, the numbers will rise to 74%. They’re already on a 3-0 winning streak. We just have to see whether CJ Stroud can make it a 4-0.