Despite having multiple chances throughout the game to meaningfully chip away at the Seattle Seahawks' early lead, the Houston Texans just couldn't manage to get over the hump on Monday night, falling to the NFC West contender by the final score of 27-19 in a game that, if it weren't for four turnovers forced by Houston's defense, wouldn't have been that close.
But adding 'injury' to the 'insult' of falling to 2-4 on the season, the Houston Texans are now dealing with the aftermath of having lost Pro Bowl wideout Nico Collins early in the 4th quarter due to what has since been officially confirmed as a concussion.
Collins was injured on the play in the cover photo above, where CJ Stroud threw his #1 target a back-shoulder pass along the sideline. Collins was unable to make the catch, and to make matters worse, he struck his head on the turf of Lumen Field and immediately made the trip to the blue medical tent on Houston's sideline.
After the game, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed it was a concussion and offered a vague update on his potential availability for Houston's Week 8 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, saying, "We'll evaluate him as the week goes on."
Do the Texans have any other answers in their passing game?
It's no surprise that Nico Collins' premature exit proved to be a major blow to a Texans offense that was already struggling to get much going on Monday night anyway, and really needed CJ Stroud's preferred target on the field in the final frame as Houston was attempting to scratch and claw its way back into the game and avoid that dreaded 2-4 hole.
But even before the injury, the Texans weren't having much success on plays where CJ Stroud looked in Nico Collins' direction. Collins was targeted 10 times, but only caught 4 balls for 27 yards. After the game, Stroud took accountability for Collins' lack of involvement.
"I got to find a way to get him to touch the ball. I got to throw him a better ball," Stroud said postgame, per DJ Bien-Aime. "That's just the bottom line. It's going to be tough. He's our best player on offense. He's one of the best players in the league time and time again. We also got to find ways to get him the ball in better situations. So that starts with me trying to get us in the right looks."
Stroud also added during his postgame remarks that if Collins were to miss Week 8's matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, he knows it would, "put more on my plate." But in all actuality, it puts just as much on the plates of the rest of the Texans pass-catchers -- a group that is largely unproven.
Against Seattle, on pass plays that weren't in Nico Collins' direction, Stroud completed 19-of-39 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown that went to rookie running back Woody Marks. Tight end Dalton Schultz led the way with 9 receptions for 98 yards, while rookie Jaylin Noel had the most productive game of his first NFL season, finishing with 4 receptions for 77 yards.