Cooper Neill/Getty Images
The Houston Texans were dealt quite the blow Tuesday. Tests revealed that wide receiver Stefon Diggs suffered a torn ACL during Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston.
“Unfortunately, he tore his ACL,” head coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He’ll be out for the year. It really hurts our team to hear that news.”
The injury occurred on a non-contact play during Sunday’s game. Diggs grabbed at his knee and went to the locker room, and the concern was obvious in the immediate aftermath.
Houston traded for the four-time Pro Bowler this offseason as a way of adding more firepower as it looked to take the next step and compete for a Super Bowl. The wide receiver trio of Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell seemed to be one of the best in the league entering the campaign.
However, Collins has been sidelined since Oct. 6 with a hamstring injury, and Diggs is now out for the year.
Wilson reported the team expects Collins to return by the Nov. 10 game against the Detroit Lions, but Houston will be quite shorthanded at wide receiver for Thursday’s contest against the New York Jets.
Look for Dell to be the primary option for quarterback C.J. Stroud, while the combination of Xavier Hutchinson, Robert Woods and John Metchie III should see more time.
But this setback is about more than just Thursday’s game. The Texans have realistic Super Bowl aspirations following a 6-2 start to the season that has left them two games clear of everyone else in the AFC South.
Diggs, who had 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns in the first eight games, was a major part of those aspirations. When he, Collins and Dell were all on the field together, opposing defenses had to pick their poison and leave someone in single coverage as a matchup problem.
The Texans will no longer have that luxury, although Collins’ imminent return will provide a much-needed boost in the wake of Diggs’ injury.
Leave a Reply