The Houston Texans probably won’t vie for a Super Bowl after losing another key weapon.
In Saturday’s 27-19 road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Texans second-year wide receiver Tank Dell collided with wideout Jared Wayne while catching a 30-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
According to Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday that Dell tore his ACL and dislocated his kneecap on the play. Given the severity of the injury, it wouldn’t be surprising if he missed some of next season.
It’s another blow for the Texans, who are already thin at WR. In a Week 8 win over the Indianapolis Colts, WR Stefon Diggs — a four-time Pro Bowler — tore his ACL.
“You can’t replace a Tank Dell,” Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said Monday, via ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime. “You can’t replace a Stefon Diggs … Tank does a bunch of things that make him special. And he showed that on Saturday.”
Against K.C., Dell logged six receptions for 98 yards and one touchdown catch. In 14 games, he recorded 51 receptions for 667 yards and three TD catches.
Outside of star WR Nico Collins — who leads the team in receiving yards (909 in 10 games) — Houston lacks dynamic wideouts. WRs John Metchie III, Robert Woods and Xavier Hutchinson have combined for 416 receiving yards through 16 weeks.
This compounds Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud’s problems. According to Pro Football Reference, the second-year passer has been pressured on 26% of his dropbacks, the third-highest percentage in the league.
To take pressure off Stroud, the Texans should lean heavily on running back Joe Mixon, who has rushed for 967 yards and 11 TDs on 231 carries in 12 games. However, their offense could become one-dimensional.
Even if Dell was healthy, it wouldn’t be surprising if Houston was eliminated in its first playoff game. The Texans have captured the AFC South but lost four of their past seven games.
Houston (9-6) could keep losing momentum when it hosts the Baltimore Ravens (10-5) at 4:30 p.m. ET on Christmas Day. As of Monday, ESPN Bet lists the Texans as a 5.5-point underdog.
