Houston Texans fans' worst fears have been confirmed. For the second straight week, quarterback CJ Stroud has been ruled out with a concussion, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

This was the expected outcome for the Offensive Rookie of the Year contender, but that doesn't make his impending absence much easier to accept. Sunday's home game versus the Cleveland Browns carries major playoff implications. Houston (8-6) is just outside the final AFC Wild Card slot and has a slim margin of error over its final three contests- two of which come against current postseason teams.

Stroud suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to the New York Jets in Week 14. His injury is the most devastating one for an offense that lost rookie wide receiver Tank Dell for the rest of the season (fibula) and could be without top target Nico Collins for a second consecutive game (questionable with calf injury).

The 22-year-old immediately proved doubters wrong and has seemingly ended a long run of unsuccessful NFL QBs coming from Ohio State. He has thrown for 3,631 passing yards and 20 touchdowns while leading the Texans to a dramatic one-year turnaround in the 2023-24 campaign. The one silver lining is that first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans looks to be a master at overcoming adversity.

Case Keenum and company roared back from a double-digit deficit in the second half to defeat the Tennessee Titans on the road, 19-16, in overtime last Sunday. Ryans will need to be even more inventive against the defensively-imposing Browns in Week 16.

The Texans must survive another football Sunday without CJ Stroud if they are going to carry strong playoff hopes into the final two weeks of the season.