Houston Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins was carted off the field with a concussion during Monday night’s 30-6 wild-card playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Collins was injured late in the third quarter while running a slant route with Houston holding a 7-6 lead. Quarterback C.J. Stroud’s pass arrived as Collins fell forward, dropping the ball and immediately clutching his face as he lay on the turf. He was evaluated by the Texans’ training staff in the blue medical tent before being carted to the locker room and later ruled out.
After the game, head coach DeMeco Ryans did not provide a timeline for Collins’ return. “We’ll see how the week goes,” Ryans said.
It was the second concussion of the season for Collins, who previously suffered one in Week 7 against Seattle before returning two weeks later against Denver. The Texans now face a short turnaround with a divisional-round matchup Sunday at New England.
Collins finished the game with three catches on seven targets for 21 yards. During the regular season, he led Houston with 1,117 receiving yards and tied for the team lead with six touchdown receptions.
Houston also lost wide receiver Justin Watson to a concussion in the second half. Safety Jaylen Reed, who was activated from injured reserve earlier Monday after recovering from a forearm injury, briefly exited in the first quarter with a knee injury before returning.
