The Houston Texans fell to 9-6 this weekend at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City improved to 14-1 and should have the No. 1 seed locked up. For the Texans, it keeps them at No. 4 in the AFC playoff seeding.
During the game, the Texans suffered an even greater loss when Tank Dell had to be carted off the field. Dell, who was playing out of his mind, took a hit from teammate Jared Wayne on the leg, resulting in a gruesome injury.
As he was being taken off the field, C.J. Stroud was seen visibly shaken by the incident. Afterward, he discussed what was going through his mind.
Stroud said it was tough to watch and felt all he could do was pray for Dell, who he called his best friend. He added that it was "not easy to move on and keep playing" after such an incident.
C.J. Stroud on Tank Dell’s injury. pic.twitter.com/pRHooNNKKU
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) December 21, 2024
Dell and Stroud were rookies together in 2023 and had an instant connection. Stroud, who won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, looked to Dell often.
The two connected on several huge plays as the Houston product recorded 709 yards and seven touchdowns on 47 receptions. He then saw his rookie season end after 11 games due to a fractured fibula.
Dell returned from that injury and started slow this season. He finally started to come on strong in recent weeks, making it even more difficult to see him once again go through such adversity.
Stroud also added that this gives him motivation. It's hard to see Dell go down but it could give the team something to rally around as they fight for their friend on the field.