HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s C.J. Stroud sustained a concussion after hitting his head hard on the ground at the end of a run in the second quarter of Sunday's 18-15 loss to Denver.
The team announced just after halftime that he had a concussion and was out for the remainder of the game. With Davis Mills in for him, the Texans struggled to move the ball and punted on six straight possessions after a field goal made it 15-7 on the first drive of the second half.
“Anytime you lose your starting quarterback, it’s always tough,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I thought Davis battled, tried to do a good job there and battle, but it just couldn’t do well offensively once we lost C.J.”
Stroud scrambled for 6 yards and was hit on the shoulder near the end of his slide by Kris Abrams-Draine and the back of his head violently bounced off the ground.
Abrams-Draine was initially flagged for unnecessary roughness. But the play was reviewed and the call was overturned when officials said he didn’t make contact with Stroud's head or neck.
Ryans was unhappy that the call was overturned.
“He slid and the guy came up and hit him and as I see it that’s unnecessary roughness,” Ryans said. “He hit the quarterback when he was sliding and giving himself up. If I’m incorrect on the rules, I’ve seen that happen multiple times with our guys and we get the penalty, but for some reason, it just didn’t happen there.”
Stroud remained on the ground for a few minutes while he was tended to by the medical staff. He eventually got up and walked to the sideline and entered the medical tent before going to the locker room.
Despite Stroud's injury, Ryans wouldn't make excuses for the loss and said they had plenty of chances to win.
“We just have to be able to make the plays we need to make,” he said. “We've gotta run the ball better, and we just gotta be able finish drives. It’s third down for me. You go 3 of 17 on third down, that’s not winning football.”
Mills was 17 of 30 for 137 yards as the Texans fell to 3-5. They managed just 77 yards rushing.
The Texans have had offensive struggles with Stroud under center, but things got much worse with Mills in the game. They failed to score a touchdown for just the second time this season and first since their opener against the Rams.
“Yeah, if I could draw it up that way, I would make sure C.J. didn’t get hurt,” Ryans said. “The guy didn’t hit C.J. like that and we were in a good spot to continue to press forward and drive the football, but we don’t control that. So what do you control? Whoever steps in, are you doing your job? Are you’re doing what you’re supposed to do to help the team win the game?”
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Houston Texans medical staff check on Houston Texans' C.J. Stroud, laying on ground, after Stroud was hit while running the ball in the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Houston Texans' C.J. Stroud scrambles out of the pocket in the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks wavered in afternoon trading on Wall Street Tuesday as 2025 nudges closer to the finish line.
The S&P 500 was mostly unchanged. The benchmark index is still on track for a gain of more than 17% for the year.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 78 points, or 0.2%, as of 2:55 p.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%.
The biggest weights on the market remained technology companies, especially those focused on advancements for artificial intelligence.
Nvidia and Apple wobbled between small losses and breaking even. Both companies have outsized values that have a greater overall impact on the market’s broader direction.
On the winning side, Facebook parent Meta Platforms rose 1.3%. The company is buying artificial intelligence startup Manus as it continues an aggressive push to amp up AI offerings across its platforms.
Markets were mixed in Asia and higher in Europe.
With just two trading days left before the year ends, most big investors have closed out their positions and volume has been thin. U.S. markets will be closed on Thursday for New Year's day.
The more notable action was again in the commodities markets. Gold, silver and copper all resumed their ascent after steep declines a day earlier.
The price of gold rose 0.7% and silver prices gained 9.2% after slumping Monday when the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, one of the largest trading floors for commodities, asked traders to put up more cash to make bets on precious metals. Prices for both metals have surged in 2025 on a mix of economic worries and supply deficits.
Copper rose 3.6% and is up more 40% for the year on strong demand. The base metal is critical to global energy infrastructure, and demand is expected to keep growing as the development of artificial intelligence technology puts more of a strain on data centers and the energy grid.
Crude oil prices were relatively steady. The price of U.S. crude oil fell 0.1%. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 0.1%.
Treasury yields mostly rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.13% from 4.11% late Monday. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which moves more closely with expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do, held steady at 3.45% from late Monday.
Overall, Treasury yields have fallen significantly through the year, partly because of the market's expectations for a shift in interest rate policy at the Fed. The central bank cut interest rates three times late in 2025, most recently at its meeting earlier in December.
The central bank has been dealing with a more complex economic picture. Consumer confidence has been weakening throughout the year as inflation squeezes consumers and businesses. The continued impact of a wide-ranging U.S.-led trade war threatens to add more fuel to inflation.
Inflation remains stubbornly high while the jobs market slows down. The Fed can cut interest rates to help the economy weather a slower jobs market. But, that could add more fuel to inflation that is still solidly above the Fed's 2% target. Hotter inflation could stunt economic growth.
The Fed has signaled more caution moving forward. Minutes from its December meeting reflect the divisions within the central bank as it deals with uncertainty about the threats facing the economy.
Wall Street is betting that the Fed will hold interest rates steady at its next meeting in January.
Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.
Participants perform a traditional hand clap at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, right, delivers a speech as Hajime Moriyasu, left, the head coach of Japanese national soccer team, bows during a ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year on the Tokyo Stock ExchangeTuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Hajime Moriyasu, the head coach of Japanese national soccer team, rings the bell during a ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Participants perform a traditional hand clap at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi poses before ringing the bell during a ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person stands in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A dealer watches computer monitors near the screen showing the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
The screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won are seen at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
The screens show the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won and the Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ) at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A dealer watches computer monitors at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
