As the Houston Texans enter the back half of their season, there couldn't be a worse time for the team to post its longest injury report of the year, but unfortunately, that's the exact position that the two-time defending AFC South champions find themselves in.
Heading into their Week 11 matchup with the Tennessee Titans, the Texans injury report is as long as a Dickens novel. In total, 15 players -- over 25 percent of their active roster -- are listed, and just as was the case last week, a handful of starters and key contributors make up that list.
-Azeez Al Shaair (LIMITED, knee)
-Jalen Pitre (DNP, concussion)
-C.J. Stroud (DNP, concussion)
-Davis Mills (FULL, left elbow)
-Ka'imi Fairbairn (DNP, right quad)
-Braxton Berrios (FULL, quad)
-Jake Hansen (LIMITED, elbow)
-Christian Harris (FULL, shin)
-Jakob Johnson (FULL, hamstring)
-Ed Ingram (LIMITED, knee)
-Tytus Howard (FULL, concussion)
-Dalton Schultz (DNP, shoulder)
-Cade Stover (LIMITED, foot)
-Harrison Bryant (DNP, neck/shoulder)
-Denico Autry (DNP, knee)
For those scoring at home, we've got five defensive players, three tight ends, two starting offensive linemen, a pair of quarterbacks, a wide receiver, a kicker and a fullback who have some sort of injury designation just four days out from a must-win matchup. And that doesn't even include M.J. Stewart, whose season ended last week due to quadriceps tear.
Now it's important to note that it's a good sign that quite a few of the players on Houston's injury report were either full or limited participants in practice on Wednesday afternoon. That's particularly true of Tytus Howard and Ed Ingram, the entire right side of the Texans' offensive line.
Howard and Ingram have been the most consistent pieces of this much-maligned group, so getting them back after both players were unable to go in Week 10 would be huge for a win as the Texans try to keep Davis Mills relatively clean for the second straight week. The fact that Mills was sacked just twice against the Jacksonville Jaguars was a big reason why Houston was able to overcome a 29-10 deficit heading into the 4th quarter.