Here's the one silver-lining Texans fans should love despite Week 9 loss

Even in defeat, there can be some positive takeaways. That was the case for the Houston Texans in Week 9.

Despite losing 21-13 to the New York Jets on Halloween, Houston finally saw something they've been waiting for all year — Tank Dell had a breakout game.

With Nico Collins still on the IR, and Stefon Diggs joining him this past week, the Texans needed Dell to rise to the occasion. He did that as he recorded 126 yards on six receptions. That included a long of 50 yards and he averaged 21 per catch.

As a rookie, Dell had 47 receptions for 709 yards with seven touchdowns. His season ended after 11 games due to a fractured fibula but had he stayed healthy, he would have easily surpassed 1,000 yards.

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Heading into Week 9, Dell had just 229 yards on 24 catches with an average of 9.5 per reception. Houston had been missing his difference-making speed, which was on full display Thursday.

The Texans hope to have Collins back, which could happen as early as Week 10 against the Detroit Lions. Collins, who suffered a hamstring injury on a 67-yard touchdown catch in Week 5, was leading the NFL in receiving yardage when he was hurt.

Through five games, Collins had 32 receptions for 567 yards with three touchdowns. He wasn't just the go-to receiver either, but also the one stretching the field. The fourth-year wideout had an average of 17.7 yards per reception.

With Diggs out for the year, Houston will be happy to have Dell back to the form we saw in 2023. If he can continue to play at this level after Collins returns, the offense could be dangerous once again.