Davis Mills addresses potential C.J. Stroud QB controversy after Texans' win over Bills

With starting quarterback C.J. Stroud sidelined due to a concussion for a third straight game, backup Davis Mills helped the Houston Texans notch an impressive 23-19 win over the Buffalo Bills, improving their record to 6-5 on Thursday night. 

Mills went 3-0 while filling in for Stroud, but also understands the reality of Houston's quarterback situation moving forward. 

Is Davis Mills thinking about replacing C.J. Stroud on a full-time basis?

"I don't think there's a competition," Mills directly said after Thursday's victory, per Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle. "C.J.'s the starter for this team. 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." 

Against the Bills, Mills connected on 16-of-30 pass attempts for 153 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Meanwhile, the Houston defense sacked Bills quarterback Josh Allen eight times.

According to ESPN stats, the Texans' defense began Friday ranked first in the NFL in yards allowed per game (264.3) and in points allowed per contest (16.5).

Davis Mills sends message to NFL after three straight wins

Pro Football Reference stats show that Mills completed 69-of-116 (59.5%) passes for 719 yards with five touchdowns and an interception over his three wins. Following Thursday's result, the 27-year-old spoke with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk about his future beyond this season. 

"I just want it to be seen that I am capable of going out there and winning big games," Mills explained. "This was a big divisional win for our team as we’re still continuing to push forward throughout the season. We’ve got a lot of games still to go ahead of us, and we want to start the momentum on a streak and get in the playoffs." 

Florio noted that Stroud "likely" will get the nod when Houston plays at the Indianapolis Colts (8-2) on Nov. 30. On Thursday night, Stroud was spotted standing near Mills on the sideline during Buffalo's offensive possessions. 

"He was coming over to me and giving me pointers if he saw something throughout the game when I was coming back to the bench," Mills said about Stroud. "Extremely supportive, definitely ready to be back. He wants to get back. You can tell he's itching to get back out there on the field, but he was great all night."