The Houston Texans were banking on a mighty passing game led by CJ Stroud and Stefon Diggs to carry them to postseason glory this season. After starting the year with a robust 6-2 record, DeMeco Ryans seemed well on his way to challenging for the AFC crown.
The tenor of this playoff chase has flipped on a dime after the Texans saw Diggs go down with a non-contact injury during their win against the Indianapolis Colts. Diggs immediately knew something was wrong, and the Texans immediately started to fear the worst for their big trade acquisition.
The nightmare situation has become reality, as Diggs tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. The Texans will still have a solid offense without Diggs, but they just took a major step back without a proven veteran playmaker who can be a quality short-yardage target with some field-stretching potential.
Houston is still in first place in what should be a less-than competitive AFC South, but they likely saw their chances to take down elite teams like Kansas City and Pittsburgh in the postseason cut in half by this unfortunate news.
#Texans WR Stefon Diggs tore his ACL and is out for the season. pic.twitter.com/L36xoMMluV
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 29, 2024
Texans WR Stefon Diggs tears ACL, out for 2024 season
Diggs caught 47 passes for 496 yards and three touchdowns in his first eight games with the Texans. Despite seemingly becoming the WR2 behind Nico Collins, Diggs was once again on his way to a 1,000-yard season as CJ Stroud's top target underneath before his gutting injury.
With Diggs having voided many of the remaining years on his contract to both leave Buffalo and earn himself a new payday in free agency, this injury is nothing short of crushing. Diggs, who will turn 31 in November, will not face real questions about how much juice he has left in the tank.
The Texans, who will get Collins back from injury soon, will lean on second-year slot dynamo Tank Dell, veteran Robert Woods, and the impressive Xavier Hutchinson in the mean time. Former second-rounder John Metchie is still hanging around. Houston invested in wide receiver depth, and they could shoulder the Diggs loss relatively well due to it.
While the short-term outlook may not be destabilizing, it's hard to imagine the Texans fighting their way through a gauntlet of an AFC without a proven playoff performer like Diggs in the mix. Hopefully, he is back to his old self when 2025 comes around.