Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell will stay overnight in a hospital following a significant knee injury sustained during Saturday’s 27-19 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The injury occurred in the third quarter when Dell's knee was hit by a teammate and awkwardly landed after making a contested 30 yard touchdown catch for the Texans..
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed Dell’s hospitalization during his postgame press conference.
"We’ll get an update on him tomorrow,” Ryans said in his postgame press conference. “But just all our thoughts and prayers are with Tank right now. You guys have seen what he means to our entire team. It hurt. It hurts to see him go down like that. He was having a fantastic game, playing really well for us. He was in a really great spot. And we just want to keep him in our thoughts and prayers right now.”
Dell has been a standout performer for the Texans this season. Dell ended the contest as the team's leading receiver with 98 yards on six catches with a TD.
“Losing Tank, we lost one of our most explosive players,” Ryans said. “He made a lot of big plays for us today and we lost that. So, everybody around him has to pick it up. Someone has to step up and make plays in that moment. And I think it’s difficult to defend when you have Nico and Tank out there. So, of course that changed things for us offensively.”
The Texans’ playoff hopes have been bolstered by Dell’s contributions, but his absence could significantly impact their offensive dynamic. Fellow receivers Nico Collins and Robert Woods, along with tight end Dalton Schultz, will likely need to step up to fill the void left by Dell.
This latest setback adds to a growing list of injuries for the Texans, who have faced adversity throughout the season. Despite this, the team remains in good position as they have clinched a playoff spot already heading into the final weeks of the regular season.
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