The Houston Texans are coming off a hard-fought loss to the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football.
Entering the game, New York had struggled throughout the season, so dropping to 6-3 made the loss sting even more.
Missing wide receivers Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs—who’s out for the season with a knee injury—made the defeat less surprising.
However, Collins is eligible to return from Injured Reserve, which could be a big boost for Houston.
Collins wasn’t included in the Texans’ initial injury report for their upcoming game against the Detroit Lions since he hasn’t yet been activated from Injured Reserve.
Here’s a look at Houston’s injury report from Wednesday:
Did not participate:
DE Will Anderson Jr., ankle
DE Derek Barnett, calf/shoulder
DT Foley Fatusaki, groin/shoulder
OG Kenyon Green, shoulder
DE Dylan Horton, illness
RB Dameon Pierce, groin
Limited participant:
LB Azeez Al-Shaair, knee
LB Jake Hanses, ankle
DE Jerry Hughes, hip
OG Shaq Mason, hip
CB Jeff Okudah, ankle
OT Laremy Tunsil, rest
S Jimmy Ward, groin
The Texans’ injury list is extensive, and their defense could be significantly impacted when facing the Lions, a balanced team with a dynamic offense.
Even with the game at NRG Stadium in Houston, Detroit is a 3.5-point favorite. At 7-1, the Lions are seen as one of the NFL’s top teams this season.
For Houston to contend with such a strong NFC team, they need both Collins’ return and improvement across the injury report.