Houston Texans: Couple of players ruled out for Week 11
By Jair Lopez
The Houston Texans have ruled out two defenders for their game tomorrow against the Washington Redskins.
Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reported that the Houston Texans starting inside linebacker, Zach Cunningham, and outside linebacker, Duke Ejiofor, will not make the trip to Washington, DC to face the Washington Redskins in Week 11. The Texans will miss Cunningham for the third consecutive game after he sprained his knee against the Miami Dolphins in Week 8. Ejiofor will miss his second game of the season after hurting his shoulder against the Denver Broncos in Week 9.
Both players had the bye week to rehabilitate their injuries, they began to practice on a limited basis this week, but the Texans decided to err on the side of caution so they can be healthy down the road.
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Without Cunningham, Texans’ defensive coordinator, Romeo Crennel, will have to rely on Josh Keyes, Peter Kalambayi, and special teams ace Brian Peters at inside linebacker.
With Ejiofor also being out, the Texans will give Brennan Scarlett a bigger role on defense after having him play the majority of his snaps on special teams. Crennel has utilized Ejiofor as a blitzing linebacker across the middle of the field in passing situations, Scarlett could be used in a similar scheme to provide the team with another pass rusher.
The defense will have their hands full with the Redskins, who are the currently the leaders in the NFC East. The injuries have continued to pile up, but the Texans defense has proven to be up to the task as they’re currently ranked seventh in the NFL in points allowed.
Next. Injured starters nearing return in Week 11. dark
The Texans have the opportunity to win their seventh consecutive game and tie the franchise record set back in 2011. Winning in Washington will give the Texans an advantage against the Tennessee Titans who are only one game behind in the race for first place in the AFC South.