Over the two and a half days that have passed since Houston Texans leading receiver Nico Collins exited Monday's Wild Card Round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers with a concussion, there hasn't been much in terms of an update on the Pro Bowler's availability for Sunday's Divisional Round matchup against the New England Patriots. Although the lack of an update has been disappointing, it's not necessarily surprising.
With a short week upcoming, and with Collins having already dealt with one concussion this season, it instantly seemed improbable that Collins would be able to play this weekend. Now, with Collins once again missing practice on Thursday due to his continued stay in concussion protocol, it's a virtual certainty -- and by no means a surprise -- that he'll be forced to miss what could accurately be considered the biggest game in Texans franchise history.
This puts the Texans in a rather large pickle heading into Sunday's game. Houston's offense, which has hovered around league average for most of the 2025 season, isn't in a position to be able to withstand too many injuries, particularly to the most frequent and prolific target in a passing attack that has looked inept at times even with Collins on the field.
However, Monday's win over the Steelers ended up being something of an aberration, or perhaps, a sign that Houston could adapt in a game in which Collins is either a non-factor or a non-participant.
Although it wasn't until the 4th quarter that Collins had to be carted back to the locker room with a concussion, the Pro Bowler was a non-factor through three quarters, catching just 3 passes for 21 yards up to the point that he exited. CJ Stroud's go-to-guy proved to be veteran receiver Christian Kirk, who finished with 144 yards and a touchdown in the 30-6 win, a yardage total that was over half of what Kirk contributed during the entire regular season.
Although Kirk is by no means the reliable target that Collins has been ever since CJ Stroud arrived in Houston ahead of the 2023 season, there is a belief that the eight-year veteran could be an increasingly relied upon piece of the Texans' passing attack.
"I think he's one of the best in the league," Stroud said of Kirk, per DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. "We've tried to find ways to get him the ball. ... I told him it's not easy being in the year he's in [and] not having the production, stats-wise. For him to keep going week in and week out, prepping the right way, to see it pay off was really dope. Super proud of him."
"He's one of the best guys in our locker room and he works extremely hard throughout the week," Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans added. "He's been grinding all season to be an impact player for us. I'm happy it worked out for him in one of our biggest games of the year."
Although Kirk, given his experience and recent performance, will be the guy that most expect takes the biggest leap without Nico Collins on the field, the 29-year-old was quick to offer a reminder that it could be any one of the Texans pass-catchers who has his number called upon in a major way.
“Obviously, Nico is a big part of what we do, and it’s a big loss with him going down, but we’re a senior group,” Kirk said after Monday's win, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. “We’re one unit, and any of us at any moment can step up and be able to fill the void and make plays when they’re needed to happen My number was called, and glad that I was able to step up in those moments.”