The inevitable happened: C.J. Stroud will not play in Week 16 against the Cleveland Browns with a concussion, the team announced Friday.
Linebackers Will Anderson (ankle) and Blake Cashman (hamstring) will be out as well, per the team, while DT Maliek Collins (hip), WR Nico Collins (calf) and LB Denzel Perryman (Achilles) are questionable for the contest.
Friday’s Injury Report for #CLEvsHOU ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/hdIS0yD7mp
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 22, 2023
All three losses are huge for Houston, but not unexpected. Stroud did not pass the NFL’s concussion protocol for the second consecutive week after he initially suffered the hit in Week 14 against the New York Jets. Anderson and Cashman, meanwhile, were also not expected to play with their injuries for the second consecutive week.
Collins’ status, though, is better than expected after he missed Week 15. He’d join Noah Brown and Robert Woods as the primary receivers for Case Keenum, who will once again start under center in place of Stroud. And according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, Collins the receiver is expected to be active alongside Collins the defensive tackle and Perryman.
The Texans need this win to keep their playoff hopes alive. A win would push them to 9-6 and give them a big tiebreaker over the Browns in the playoff standings, while a lose would knock them further down and behind some other postseason-minded teams.
They’ll have to do it without some of their best players, though.
