Texans’ passing game hits a wall after Nico Collins injured calf one week after Tank Dell broke his fibula

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – In another setback for the Texans’ struggling passing game, wide receiver Nico Collins left the game Sunday with a strained calf not long after he eclipsed the 1,000 receiving yard milestone for the first time.

Losing Collins is a big deal for the Texans. He has emerged as one of their most improved and productive players. Collins’ injury occurred one week after rookie standout wide receiver Tank Dell broke his left fibula and was placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery.

Collins leads the Texans with 60 receptions for 1,004 yards and six touchdowns. Collins wasn’t available for interviews after the game, but he was walking fine and appeared to be in a good mood. His leg will undergo imaging scans on Monday to determine the severity of the injury.

“Unfortunately, Nico had a lower leg injury with the calf, and we lost him for the game,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Of course, it hurts when one of your best playmakers is not there, right? It hurts us, but this game it strictly came down to, credit to the Jets. Their players, they made plays.

“They made plays and we didn’t. You go out and you play that way, you don’t make plays, you don’t deserve to win the football game. So, we didn’t show up and make enough plays to win and when you play like that, that’s what will happen.

Playing without him on Sunday at rain-soaked MetLife Stadium as well as injured tight end Dalton Schultz during a 30-6 loss to the New York Jets, the other wide receivers didn’t do an adequate job of replacing him. Tight end Brevin Jordan led the Texans with three receptions for 35 yards. Wide receiver Noah Brown had zero catches on five targets. Wide receiver John Metchie III had one catch for six yards on five targets. Rookie wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson had two catches for 15 yards on three targets with a 31-yard catch nullified by his offensive pass interference penalty.

Veteran wide receiver Robert Woods had one catch on three targets for a loss of two yards.

And rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud left the game in the fourth quarter with a concussion.

“It’s always tough losing Tank, Nico, C.J., anybody on our team, but we have to make adjustments and rotate guys and still make those plays,” Woods said. “Nico went down, but next guy up. Hutch was asked to have a bigger role. Guys were moving around. I feel like, at the end of the day, we’re all capable of making a lot of plays and filling those roles.”

Collins, Dell and Schultz have been Stroud’s most frequently targeted options this season.

The prospect of playing without Collins for an extended amount of time is a tough scenario for the Texans.

He missed one game earlier this season due to a similar calf injury.

The Texans fell to 7-6 with this loss. It’s a major setback in the crowded AFC playoff hunt

“I think everybody in this building is going to step up starting tomorrow,” Woods said. “Everybody is focused on this team’s success. We’ve got a great group of guys to be able to flip this thing around and get to work and get back on track next week. We’ve got Tennessee, playing pretty well. Just got to go out there and get a win.

“Every game is important, especially at this point. It is a tough one to lose on the road, one that we were expected to win coming into this, with how we prepared. So, every loss is tough, but this one is a tough one on the road. We have guys to rebound and get this thing back on track. We’ve been here before. We know how to flip this thing around and we have the right guys in the building to do so.”

The Texans also lost linebacker Blake Cashman and nickel Tavierre Thomas to hamstring injuries, and rookie defensive end Will Anderson Jr. left the game with an ankle injury. All are expected to get imaging work Monday.

“It’s tough, we lost a lot of guys today,” Ryans said. “It’s tough losing Blake, Blake has been a guy we can count on on defense and he’s stepped in, he’s earned the right to play more snaps for us and with him going out, that definitely hurts us on defense.”

At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Collins has 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash. He has been dominant at times. He had a career-high 191 receiving yards on nine receptions in a win over the Denver Broncos and has built a strong chemistry with Stroud. He entered Sunday ranked third in the NFL with 431 yards after the catch.

“Nico is a great route runner, great at the point of the catch and he’s stepped into a role that I’ve challenged him on in being a leader and things like that, and he’s done a great job with that,” Stroud said last week. “So, I’m excited to see his future and be there with him, and I’m really happy for him. That’s my brother and I love him.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.