Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud was shaken up early in Sunday's matchup with Tampa Bay Buccaneers after taking a hard hit, briefly calling his status for the game's remainder into question. Fortunately, Houston's star rookie returned to the action on his team's next offensive series following some evaluation from team trainers, evidently avoiding a concussion or any other serious injury.

Stroud entered Week 9 as the clear favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, separating himself early in the season from several other first-year signal-callers and playmakers. He threw for 1,800 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception while completing 60.3% of his passes over the first seven games of 2023, good for a solid quarterback rating of 94.9.

While CJ Stroud was able to return to the field without incident against Tampa Bay, Houston is down several other notable performers. Safety Jimmy Ward is out with a hamstring injury, safety MJ Stewart is out with a shoulder injury and kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn has been ruled out with a quad injury. Backup running back Dare Ogunbowale has taken Fairbarin's place vs. the Buccaneers, at least handling kickoffs.

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The Texans are striving to stay afloat in the AFC South, entering Week 9 in second place behind the 6-2 Jacksonville Jaguars. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is 3-4, a half game behind the division-leading Atlanta Falcons who are 4-4.