Defense has been the Houston Texans' strength all season, but with C.J. Stroud throwing the ball to a deep group of wide receivers, Demeco Ryans has also gotten some solid production offensively late in the 2025 season.
Stroud shared the ball with a variety of receivers, but no player generated more offense for Houston than Nico Collins. The fifth-year star posted his third consecutive 1,000-yard season, remaining the go-to target for Stroud all season.
However, in Monday's wild-card matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Collins was carted off the field in the fourth quarter, leaving Stroud with a limited group of weapons to work with.
Here's the latest on Collins' injury and how it impacts the Texans' wide receiver room.
MORE: How C.J. Stroud turned the ball over three times vs. Steelers
Nico Collins injury update
Offense was hard to come by in Pittsburgh on Monday night, but a few Texans receivers saw significant work. Christian Kirk was leading the team with over 100 yards, while Collins had three catches for 21 yards in a rare quiet night.
In the fourth quarter, Collins was targeted by Stroud and reached out to make the catch with a defender wrapped up behind him. As the receiver fell to the ground, his helmet hit it first.
Collins immediately grabbed at his helmet/head area and exited the game.
Awful Hit: #Texans WR Nico Collins just smashed his head into the ground.
— FirstDownMedia (@FirstDownMediaa) January 13, 2026
He immediately reached for his head. This doesn’t look good at all.
Prayers Up he has headed to the tent. Pic.twitter.com/dOvVLWvMCC
Collins was taken to the locker room on a cart, and he was seen with a towel over his head. He was ruled out by the Texans with a concussion soon after.
#Texans WR Nico Collins has been carted off to the locker room with a likely concussion https://t.co/nNMEdjNaci pic.twitter.com/P6NVpmCU1V
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) January 13, 2026
What happened to Nico Collins?
Collins exited Monday's playoff game between the Texans and Steelers with a head injury, which was called a concussion by Houston.
The star receiver hit his helmet hard on the ground after extending to try to make a catch, immediately grabbing at his head area after the play. Collins was then carted back to the locker room.
MORE: Steelers offense continues to struggle in the first quarter vs. Texans
Texans WR depth chart
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Nico Collins (questionable) |
| 2 | Jayden Higgins |
| 3 | Xavier Hutchinson |
| 4 | Jaylin Noel |
| 5 | Christian Kirk |
The Texans distribute the ball around their offense a lot, meaning a lot of different receivers often see the ball. That was certainly the case in Monday's wild-card game -- veteran receiver Christian Kirk cleared the 100-yard mark with a touchdown after totaling just 239 yards in the regular season.
Collins is the bonafide WR1 in Houston, but the team does have a collection of young receivers who have impressed at various points. Rookie Jayden Higgins had 525 yards and six touchdowns in his first NFL campaign, while Xavier Hutchinson put up 428 yards.
If the Texans advance to the divisional round and Collins can't play, Stroud would be turning toward Higgins, Hutchinson, Kirk and Jaylin Noel to make plays, as well as tight end Dalton Schultz.