Texans make final Nico Collins injury decision before Lions clash

The Houston Texans are preparing for a high-powered battle against the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football. However, the Texans will be entering the matchup without one of their key offensive players.

Wide receiver Nico Collins has been ruled out, via Adam Schefter of ESPN. He has been battling through a hamstring injury that forced him to go on injured reserve.

However, the Texans activated Collins off of IR on Friday, seemingly being the first domino to fall in his return. That now isn't the case, as Collins will miss one more week. Whether this is a full on setback or just Houston being cautious is not yet known. Fans are hoping for the latter.

Houston has been without Collins for most of the season due to his injury. But when healthy, he has caught 32 passes for 567 yards and three touchdowns. Collins is coming off of a breakout 2023 campaign, in which he caught 80 passes for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns.

Losing him for their Lions matchup will be a brutal blow for the Texans. Houston enters the contest ranked 10th in total offense, averaging 348.1 yards per game. But Detroit comes in three spots higher, averaging 369.6 yards per game.

With Collins out and Stefon Diggs out for the season, the Texans will be relying on Tank Dell and company to take charge. While it came in a loss against the New York Jets in Week 9, Dell led the way in a similar scenario, catching six passes for 126 yards. Veteran Robert Woods will likely be asked to step up as well.

It will be hard to truly replace Nico Collins' production, but the Texans will need to find a way if they want to be successful against the Lions. At 6-3, a win would go a long way in proving Houston has what it takes to be a true Super Bowl contender.