Nico Collins still wasn’t back on the practice field Thursday, and that’s the kind of news that shifts the whole shape of Houston’s Week 3 conversation.
The Texans haven’t officially shut him down for Sunday’s AFC South meeting with the Colts, but the signs keep pointing in the wrong direction. Collins missed practice again because of the hamstring injury that kept him out against Cincinnati, giving him four straight missed practices dating back to last week. Along with him, starting guard Ed Ingram and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney were also out for a second day in a row.
If Collins can’t go, Houston can’t afford to ask C.J. Stroud to carry the offense with another massive passing load. The answer has to come from the ground game.
That’s the part of this offense that has been stuck in neutral through two games. Stroud has been sharp enough to keep Houston moving, completing 56 of 93 passes for 627 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Texans have piled up 755 total offensive yards and 48 first downs. On paper, that doesn’t look like a team that should be staring at an 0-3 start.
Then you get to the rushing numbers.
David Montgomery has 70 yards on 26 carries, a 2.7-yard average. Woody Marks has 50 yards on 17 carries, good for 2.9 per attempt.
Houston has 184 rushing yards as a team, but only 120 have come from Montgomery and Marks. Stroud has added 44 more himself.
That’s not enough balance, and it’s not a setup Houston can keep leaning on.
The Texans are also dealing with more than just a missing receiver. Ingram sat out Week 2 with a groin injury and has not practiced Wednesday or Thursday this week, which keeps the line picture unsettled.
There was at least one positive note Thursday: right tackle Trent Brown returned after missing Wednesday with knee and wrist issues. Dalton Schultz also came back after a rest day Wednesday.
Brown’s return matters, because the Texans need cleaner blocking in front of Montgomery. The running back doesn’t need to be turned into something he isn’t, but he does need somewhere to run. Houston has to create better situations - second-and-6 instead of second-and-9, a believable play-action threat, linebackers who have to respect the backfield.
That’s how the offense gets easier for everybody else.
Schultz has become Stroud’s most reliable target through two games, leading the team with 16 catches for 175 yards. But Houston can’t let the passing game become a one-man hunt for Dalton.
There are other options in the room. Jaylin Noel has only three receptions, but they’ve gone for 84 yards, a hefty 28 yards per catch.
Kayshon Boutte has four catches for 58 yards, Xavier Hutchinson has six for 69 and Jared Wayne has three for 45.
The talent is there to spread the ball around. What Houston needs is a run game that helps those receivers get into better downs and distances.
Third-and-5 opens things up. Third-and-11 puts Stroud in a much tougher spot and gives Indianapolis more chances to attack.
If Collins isn’t available, the Texans don’t need to panic. They do need to stop treating the passing game like the only path forward. Stroud shouldn’t have to throw 50-plus passes again, and Houston shouldn’t spend Sunday chasing explosives just because its top receiver is watching from the sideline.
Montgomery was brought in to give this offense a physical edge. Schultz can work underneath.
Noel can stretch the field. Boutte and Hutchinson can get their chances.
And Stroud can do what he does best: distribute the football instead of trying to build the whole offense himself.
Houston has enough to beat Indianapolis without Nico Collins. What it doesn’t have is much room left for excuses.
In Other News...
Texans O-Line Decision Could Define Houstons Next Step With C.J. Stroud
After a rough Week 2 loss, DeMeco Ryans left open the possibility of reshuffling Houstons offensive line, with Blake Fisher in the mix at right tackle as the Texans try to settle things in front of C.J. Stroud. Its the kind of early-season adjustment that can quickly shape how an offense looks, especially for a team still searching for its first win and trying to avoid digging a deeper hole in the AFC South.
The timing matters with Indianapolis coming to town in Week 3, even with the Colts set to be without wide receiver Alec Pierce because of injury. Houstons focus remains much closer to home, where the priority is protecting Stroud and finding a combination up front that can give the offense a cleaner path forward. Whether Ryans sticks with the current look or makes a change will say plenty about how urgent the Texans feel the situation is. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Offense Faces Early Turning Point Against Colts
The Texans head into Week 3 with a little more pressure than anyone in Houston probably expected this early, and the matchup with the Colts feels like an immediate check on where the offense is headed. Both teams are 0-2, so this is less about October scoreboard watching and more about which side can stop the early-season slide before it really starts to define the year.
For Houston, the questions are all on the offensive side, where C.J. Stroud could be set up for another big passing day if the game script leans that way. There is also the possibility of Woody Marks getting a larger share of the backfield work, along with more chances for tight ends Foster Moreau and Marlin Klein to show up in the personnel mix, giving the Texans a few different ways to search for a spark against a division rival. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Head Into Colts Showdown With Availability Concerns That Could Matter
The Texans head into Sundays game at Lucas Oil Stadium with some real availability questions hanging over a matchup that already feels important in the AFC South race. Houstons final injury report includes five players who are either out or questionable, and the list features key starters Nico Collins and Ed Ingram, the kind of names that can shape how the offense and protection plans come together on the road.
Indianapolis is dealing with its own health concerns, with several players listed as out or questionable and cornerback Charvarius Ward among those whose status is still unsettled. For a Texans team trying to keep pace in a division game away from home, the final availability decisions on both sides could end up mattering just as much as the game plan. [Read more 🡒]