HOUSTON – Hey everybody, This is KPRC 2 Sports Director Randy McIlvoy. Happy Holidays to all of you and Merry Christmas!
The Holiday season is here but at the Texans headquarters they are looking to finish the regular season strong and take momentum into the postseason.
Recommended Videos
The Texans are coming off of a 27-19 loss to the Chiefs on Saturday that saw the AFC South Champs fall to 9-6 on the season. Good news is that they’ve punched their ticket to the playoffs but now they are dealing with injuries coming out of Kansas City.
TANK DELL OUT FOR SEASON
That was a tough play to watch Saturday as C.J. Stroud hooked up with his best friend on the team for a touchdown. On the way down though, a teammate made contact and Dell sustained a dislocated knee cap and there could be more damage. The Texans said Dell returned from Kansas City on Sunday after staying overnight for evaluation.
It’s a big blow to Dell to broke his left fibula last year in week 13 against Denver and had to undergo surgery then was a victim in an offseason shooting this past spring. Dell’s loss on top of losing Stefon Diggs after week 8 has depleted this receiver group.
DEMECO RYANS COMMENTS SUNDAY AT NRG STADIUM
On injury update on WR Tank Dell
“Injury update with [WR] Tank [Dell]. Right now, he’s flying back to Houston. Right now, we will still be evaluating, to see where he is. Still meeting with doctors to see what’s next for him. But it is a significant knee injury, and our thoughts and prayers are definitely with Tank at this time.”
On if there is a possibility of returning or if he is out for the season
“We are still evaluating that to see what will happen. He still has to talk to doctors and go through all the procedures there. On the same note, we’d really like to thank the Kansas City Medical team and the doctors there and their staff for being very accommodating for us, helping out with Tank, getting him a room and getting him setup. I really thought those guys did a really unbelievable job. [Chiefs Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance] Rick Burkholder and his staff, they did an unbelievable job. Very thankful for Kansas City’s entire organization and their medical team.”
On if he has spoken to WR Tank Dell since he went to the hospital
“Yes, I have been in contact with him.”
On if he has spoken to WR Jared Wayne after how distraught he was after the play
“Yeah, with that, Jared [Wayne] was in a difficult spot emotionally, as anyone would be. It’s a tough spot to be in. Football is a lot of unpredictable movements, a lot of things happen. Things happen fast. None of us can predict injuries or what’s going to happen on the field. Guys play fast. Things happen all the time, right? You try to avoid things, you slow down and some things probably happen even anymore, so you just continue to play fast and just understand that it’s the unfortunate part of what we do is the injury. So, you just take a step back and think about Tank, think about Jared and all the guys involved on that play. It’s tough. It’s tough for me, it’s tough for everybody to see anybody hurt. It is the same when [Dolphins WR Grant] DuBose went down last week with Miami. It’s tough to see guys get injured, the work that guys put in, how much they put their bodies on the line to play this game. It’s deeper than football. We are talking about real people who have real emotions and real feelings who are going through a tough time right now. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in that situation.”
Next up is a Christmas Day date with the Baltimore Ravens at NRG Stadium. The Texans will look for their first win over the Ravens since 2014. Baltmore has won the last five games including last year’s playoff game in Baltimore.
DEMECO RYANS ON FACING THE RAVENS
On if there is an advantage on a short week to have played Baltimore Ravens twice last year
“Playing them last year I don’t think has a lot to do with this year. With them adding [Ravens RB] Derek Henry, I think their offense has changed significantly with Derek and what they’re able to do. I think they are able to run the football even better. Now having Derek there, he’s having an outstanding year. When it comes to the [Ravens QB] Lamar [Jackson], what jumps off the tape to me is just how accurate he is with football now, throwing the football, hitting the tight ends. He has a lot of weapons, and he’s distributing the football very well, making really good decisions with the football. They are an explosive unit. How they handle the run game, and then also Lamar and his threat to run the ball, also throwing the ball. He’s an unbelievable talent, definitely the guy who is in consideration for the MVP. He jumps off the tape as one of the best players in our league.”
On thoughts on Ravens RB Derek Henry and what he has done this season
“I think Derek has found that fountain of youth. He is playing fast. He’s playing physical, he is tough as ever. Looks like the old Derrick Henry, and he’s low, and he’s playing very powerful. He has some really long runs, long runs for touchdowns. So, he has it all, the speed, physicality, like he brings it all and the o-line is doing a really good job of giving him some nice lanes to run through. So, it’s going to be a difficult match up for us when it comes to just stopping the run game, probably the best run unit we’ve seen all year.”
What you need to know: Texans turn it over, fall short in loss to Chiefs as Patrick Mahomes rallies team late: ‘We have to clean it up’
See ya at NRG on Wednesday!
READ MORE:
