The Houston Texans look like they could be without their top two receivers as they return home this weekend.
Neither Nico Collins nor Christian Kirk were present at Wednesday’s practice during the portion open to the media. The session was the first of the week ahead of the Texans’ matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
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Collins sustained a concussion early in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s 27-19 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He fell hard and his head snapped back and bounced off the ground after leaping for a pass over Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe. Collins was evaluated by trainers on the field and in the medical tent before being ruled out for the rest of the game.
Coach DeMeco Ryans said the team will “evaluate him as the week goes on.” But given the short week and the series of protocols Collins will have to pass to be cleared to play, his status for Sunday’s game is in doubt.
Losing Collins for any period of time would be a huge absence for Houston’s offense. He leads the team in targets (46), receiving yards (339) and receiving touchdowns (3), and he’s been C.J. Stroud’s go-to reciever in clutch situations throughout his career. Lacking Collins this week would be especially worrisome this week after the Texans played their worst offensive game of the season in Seattle and are searching for some semblance of consistency.
Compounding the loss of Collins would be a second consecutive week without Kirk. The receiver did not play against the Seahawks after injuring his hamstring last Friday, marking the third game this season he’s missed with an ailment of the sort.
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Kirk’s stats in his first season with the Texans aren’t remarkable. He has just 10 catches for 109 yards and no touchdowns in three games this season. But he’s been a critical piece of creating spacing for Houston’s offense from the slot. Without him against the Seahawks, Houston’s passing attack lacked proper distancing and separation among its receivers.
The Texans did get some positive injury news Wednesday as cornerback Jaylin Smith was designated to return to practice. The rookie was placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 3 with a hamstring injury. If activated, Smith will likely return to his spot as the team’s third corner and play outside alongside Derek Stingley Jr. in dime packages.
This article originally published at Houston Texans could be without receivers Nico Collins and Christian Kirk against San Francisco 49ers.
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