The Houston Texans have a major problem at wide receiver going into the divisional-round game versus the New England Patriots this week.
During their wild-card game victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, wide receiver Nico Collins suffered a bad concussion that forced him out of the game early, which left Collins' status up in the air for this week.
Unfortunately, Collins is trending in the wrong direction and looks set to miss the crucial matchup with the Patriots on Sunday.
According to the Texans' official injury report, Collins was a non-participant for the second straight day. At this point, he's highly unlikely to be cleared in time to play.
"Top Texans threat looking unlikely for Patriots game," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote.
It isn't clear how many of the five steps Collins has cleared in the concussion protocol, but the last two are practicing in full before being cleared by both a Texans physician and an independent neurologist.
If Collins does end up sitting out, it would not be surprising.
After all, it was very clear that Collins' concussion was severe. The veteran wideout was immediately ruled out and had to be carted off the field into the locker room.
If Collins doesn't play this week, the Texans will need Christian Kirk to step up once again, just like he did against the Steelers when he finished with eight receptions for 144 yards and one touchdown in the 30-6 victory.
The Texans will also lean more on rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, and veteran Xavier Hutchinson, all of whom have stepped up at different points throughout the season.
Tight end Dalton Schultz will likely be featured heavily in the offense, also.
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