The Houston Texans are starting their Super Bowl push on Saturday, hosting the Los Angeles Chargers for an AFC Wild Card game. While Houston finished the regular season at 10-7, sitting atop the AFC South, this year has been a rocky one for the Texans, filled with quite a few lows.
The lowest point of the season for the team came in a Week 16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. During that game, promising wide receiver Tank Dell suffered a devastating knee injury on a touchdown catch, creating a heartbreaking scene on the field for Houston.
Obviously, Dell is still sidelined, and won’t return to the field this postseason, but he did return to the sideline on Saturday. As the team warmed up pregame, Dell made his way onto the field with crutches and fellow injured receiver Stefon Diggs.
3️⃣ in the house ❤️ pic.twitter.com/gucH5eXzc9
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 11, 2025
Tank Dell returns to Texans’ sideline during Wild Card game
His presence will still be missed on the field, but knowing what he means to this team, seeing him back in the mix for the first time since the injury had to provide a nice jolt of motivation before this playoff game. Before Dell even arrived, it was clear he was on the mind of his teammates, because they were warming up in Tank Dell shirts.
All love between the 7️⃣1️⃣3️⃣ ❤️ pic.twitter.com/EduWQNNge4
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 11, 2025
Prior to Dell’s season ending, he caught 51 passes for 667 yards and three touchdowns. As a rookie, he caught 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns. He was really rounding into form when he sustained the injury, so that made the situation especially disheartening.
As the Texans try to knock off a hot Chargers team, everyone will wish Dell was on the field making plays, but the team will be fueled by his presence in the stadium cheering them on.