Jonathan Greenard, the team’s leading sack man and defensive end, missed practice on Tuesday due to his ongoing recovery from an ankle injury sustained during the Week 16 loss to Cleveland on Christmas Eve. Greenard missed Houston’s last two regular-season games as the team won its first division crown since 2019.
Other Texans injured were wide receivers Robert Woods (hip) and Noah Brown (back), defensive tackles Sheldon Rankins (shoulder) and Maliek Collins (hip), and defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Jerry Hughes (ankle).
Though they were taking their regular day off as veterans, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and offensive guard Shaq Mason participated in practice. Wednesday’s comeback of both players is scheduled as part of the regular schedule.
Due to his ankle injury, Anderson was only able to play 31 snaps during Saturday’s 23-19 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. He also saw some action in the 26-3 victory over the Tennessee Titans, but he made the most of his playing time by recording two sacks.
Collins and Rankins, who were limited in the week before the game, played at least 34 snaps on Saturday. Even though they were limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, neither should be worried about their status going into Saturday’s playoff game.
The receiving room is the area that has the most unknowns. Woods was classified as a late-game scratch before kickoff on Thursday, and Brown was ruled out before the team left.
Nico Collins and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud’s growing romance made news on their first primetime appearance. On the first play of Houston’s game, Stroud tied the record for most rookie quarterback touchdowns in league history by throwing for 4,000 yards in a season with a 75-yard ball to the third-year player.
For his career-high 195 yards, Collins finished with nine catches on nine targets, making him the third Texan to reach 1,200 yards in a single season. Dalton Schultz, a tight end, caught five passes for 42 yards.
Although Collins was able to find gaps in Indy’s secondary, Cleveland’s top pass defence will make that impossible. Half of the passes made by quarterbacks are incomplete, with opponents averaging 164.7 yards each game.
Having participated in 14 games in the regular season, Woods now ranks third among active players in terms of receiving yards (460) and receptions (40). For the campaign, he has also scored one touchdown.
