It’s looking more likely that the Houston Texans will travel eastbound with their star pass-catcher for Sunday’s divisional round showdown against the New England Patriots.
Wide receiver Nico Collins was not present for a second straight practice during the media session on Thursday afternoon. Should he appear on the injury report as a “DNP” for the second straight time, it more than likely means that he will be out for Sunday’s contest at Gillette Stadium.
Collins, who left Monday’s 30-6 wild-card round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers with a head injury, is currently in the league’s concussion protocol. While Texans coach DeMeco Ryans did not rule out Collins on Tuesday’s Zoom call with the media, the odds for him to return in time are slim.
According to the league’s policy, Collins must partake in two practices, including at least a contact session, without any symptoms to pass the first barrier. After that, Collins would have to meet with and pass the final test from an independent doctor before being cleared for live reps.
Given that the Texans played on Monday, they were already at a disadvantage for timing purposes.
While C.J. Stroud has built a rapport with other targets, Collins has been the go-to weapon in the passing game for the offense. Despite missing a game earlier this season because of the concussion protocol, Collins finished the regular season with 71 catches for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns, becoming the third player in franchise history to post three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Should Collins miss Sunday’s game, Houston will turn to a combination of Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel Dalton Schultz and Xavier Hutchinson. Kirk, who was quiet for most of the regular season following his trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars, totaled a career-high 144 receiving yards off eight catches and scored a touchdown against the Steelers.
Higgins and Hutchinson combined for six catches for 60 yards in the win, while Schultz notched three receptions for 12 yards. In Week 8’s win over the San Francisco 49ers, Hutchinson finished with a team-leading 69 yards off five passes, while Noel caught five balls for 63 yards.
Kickoff from Gillette Stadium is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans WR Nico Collins likely out for divisional round game vs. Pats
Reporting by Cole Thompson, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
