After a 22-17 win vs. the Broncos in Week 13, the Texans are now 7-5 this season. Despite a winning record, the team is still in the hunt for the postseason in 2023. Right now, the Browns are the 7th seed and the Texans are the 8th. They have a head-to-head matchup in Week 16 that will be massive for playoff seeding.
Houston has looked like a brand new team this season because they’ve found their franchise QB. C.J. Stroud has played incredibly this season and he’s the run-away favorite for offensive rookie of the year. One of his favorite targets this season has been rookie WR Tank Dell. Sadly, he suffered a fractured fibula in the first quarter of Week 13 and has been ruled out for the rest of the 2023 season. A devastating blow to the Texans on offense.
Who will step up for the Texans with rookie Tank Dell’s 2023 season over?
From @GMFB: More injury news, with the latest on #Steelers QB Kenny Pickett (ankle surgery), #Saints QB Derek Carr (concussion), #Texans breakout star Tank Dell (fractured fibula), and #Titans RB Derrick Henry (concussion). pic.twitter.com/TioEIHP4eW
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 4, 2023
At the NFL scouting combine this past February, C.J. Stroud and Tank Dell became friends quickly. When Dell saw the Texans draft Stroud second overall, he told him to get Houston to draft him. Luckily, the Texans did just that and were able to draft Dell in the third round out of the University of Houston. The rookie QB-WR duo has been incredible this season and it will hurt the Texans’ offense to lose a dynamic player-maker like Dell for the rest of the season.
In 11 games played and eight started in 2023, Dell will finish with 47 catches for 709 yards and seven touchdowns. He was on a streak of four straight games with 50+ receiving yards and a touchdown. Dell had been a go-to target for Stroud this season and the team will need someone to step up in his absence. Without Dell for a majority of the game in Week 13, Nico Collins had one of the best games of his career.
It’s gonna be tough for the Texans to replace how dynamic Tank Dell made this offense. Absolutely no excuse for him to be in the position he was in on a goal line play. Devastating injury. This Texans team can beat anyone with Tank, but it’s gonna take some serious creative…
— Roosh (@RooshWilliams) December 4, 2023
Collins had nine catches and one receiving touchdown for a career-high 191 yards. Without Dell, C.J. Stroud and Collins were able to make several big plays for the Texans. In the end, it would be Houston’s defense that would make the game-winning play to beat the Broncos, 22-17. The Texans will be on the road in Week 14 to face the New York Jets.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
