The Houston Texans prepare to travel eastbound for a matchup against the New England Patriots. On one hand, the Patriots are breaking in their young quarterback Drake Maye as the full-time starter.
On the other, Houston could be without several key offensive players, including NFL-leading receiver Nico Collins. After scoring on a 67-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud in the first quarter of Week 5’s win over the Buffalo Bills, Collins was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
On Wednesday, he was placed on the injured reserve, meaning he won’t be eligible to return until the Texans’ Week 10 matchup against the Detroit Lions on Nov. 10.
“It’s unfortunate that we’ll not have Nico. Great player, been a great player all year for us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday. “Best receiver in the League. But he’ll take the time to get healthy. He’ll be back for us. So, encouraged by that news. He’ll be back at some point this season.”
While Collins is out, two stars on offense plan on returning for the first time in three weeks. Defensively, the Texans will be without a pair of critical members of the secondary.
Here is the final injury report heading into Week 6’s matchup at Gillette Stadium.