Tank Dell's injury sinks the Texans' already-slim chances of a deep playoff run

The Houston Texans were trending towards a rough postseason as things already stood going into Week 16. They were the lowest seed of the four potential AFC division winners and their passing offense wasn’t nearly as sharp as it was in last year’s surprise run to the playoffs.

After losing Tank Dell in Saturday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, they don’t stand a chance at a deep run.

Dell needs surgery for a dislocated kneecap, torn ACL and other damage, head coach DeMeco Ryans announced Monday. It’s terrible news for such a promising young player who was second on the team with 51 catches, 667 yards and three touchdowns. The injury also leaves the Texans incredibly thin at receiver after they also lost Stefon Diggs to a torn ACL in October.

Texans HC DeMeco Ryans says WR Tank Dell suffered dislocated kneecap, torn ACL and other damage; will undergo season-ending surgery. pic.twitter.com/wuvFdKhIAf

— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2024

What was once thought to be a position of strength becomes a weakness, with Nico Collins left standing stands as the team’s last reliable wideout threat. The only other players on the roster with at least 20 catches and 200 yards this season are tight end Dalton Schultz and running back Joe Mixon. For a quarterback like C.J. Stroud who was already regressing behind an offensive line allowing the NFL’s fifth-most sacks, that has disaster written all over it.

Houston’s odds to win the AFC are now just +1600 at BetMGM, closer to Wild Card locks like the Chargers (+2000) and Broncos (+2500) than true contenders like the Chiefs (+200) and Bills (+200) — a true fall from Super Bowl sleeper at the start of the season to conference long-shot.

The Texans will find out right away how their new offense fares against top playoff teams when they host the Baltimore Ravens as part of the NFL’s Christmas doubleheader on Wednesday. If being a 5.5-point underdog at home isn’t an indication of how bad things might get, the games they played without both Collins and Diggs in Weeks 9 and 10 could be; Houston went 0-2 and combined for just three touchdowns against the Jets and Lions.

Maybe still having Collins this time will allow players like Robert Woods, John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson to slot into more appropriate roles, but not having Dell and his ability to stretch the field still doesn’t bode well for the playoffs. No matter how good Houston’s defense holds up, the offense simply doesn’t have enough firepower to make it count.