John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.
The Texans received the news they dreaded to hear, that wide receiver Stefon Diggs is out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.
Losing Diggs on a non-contact play in Sunday's 23-20 victory over the Colts means the Texans will play the Jets on Thursday night at Metlife Stadium without their two leading receivers – Diggs and Nico Collins.
In his first season with the Texans, Diggs was on a pace for 100 catches, 1,054 yards and eight touchdowns receiving and rushing. It would have been his fifth consecutive 100-catch season and his seventh 1,000-yard season if he'd been able to reach those milestones.
"It's definitely a blow to us," Head Coach DeMeco Ryans said Tuesday. "He's been such an important part to our team, everything he brought, not only on the field but off the field – the energy, the leadership, the way he worked every day.
"A lot of the guys have to step up (and) pick up the slack. We're definitely praying for him to have a speedy, successful recovery."
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday afternoon at 3. It'll be interesting to see if Executive Vice President/General Manager Nick Caserio trades for another wide receiver to replace Diggs.
When Diggs was injured in the third quarter running a route near the sideline at NRG Stadium, he didn't go under the medical tent. He was able to walk straight into the locker room without much of a limp. The Texans worried about the worst but held out hope it might not be a torn ACL.
"Speaking to him, it's like anybody would be, it's tough news to hear, especially with how much he pours into it," Ryans said. "That's (a) guy that gave his all to everything we asked him to do. He's hurting, of course, and we're hurting for him."
With Collins sidelined the last three games, Diggs became quarterback C.J. Stroud's go-to receiver with 47 catches for 496 yards (10.4 average) and three touchdowns. He also had the first rushing touchdown of his career.
Like his teammates, Stroud took the news hard. Ever since Caserio acquired him in the trade with Buffalo, Diggs endeared himself to his coaches and teammates. They voted him as a team captain before the season.
"It sucks," Stroud said. "It's tough. It's not something I have a whole bunch of words for.
"I really feel bad for him. He's worked extremely hard. I think he was having one of the best times he's ever had on a team – at least that's what he told us. I'm praying for him and hoping he keeps his head up high and he'll bounce back even stronger."
Diggs became a leader on and off the field. He worked with younger players during the offseason program, training camp and preseason.
"Stef has brought more to our team than I can explain – the leadership aspect off the field," Ryans said. "I love everything about Stef. We're praying for him to get back healthy and strong."
Diggs didn't just work with offensive players, either. He's helped defensive players, especially the secondary, as well.
"His impact is huge," Stroud said. "Stef has been somebody you can lean on as a friend, as a teammate, as a brother – somebody who gives you life advice, a vet that's played a lot of ball and lived a lot of life.
"He's still around (and) he'll still be able to do those things, but it's just unfortunate that he has to go through this."
Even though Diggs is lost for the season, Collins is expected to return in a Sunday night game on Nov. 10 against Detroit at NRG Stadium. Collins suffered a hamstring injury in the victory over the Bills early in October.
Meanwhile, the Texans will tangle with the Jets in their nationally televised game with Tank Dell (24 catches, 229 yards, 2 touchdowns) as their leading receiver.
Stroud, who's been forced to throw under almost constant pressure, will look for his other receivers to step up on Thursday night. John Metchie III, Xavier Hutchinson and Robert Woods have combined for 14 receptions, 146 yards and no touchdowns.
Stroud also will throw to tight ends Dalton Schultz (23 catches, 223 yards) and Cade Stover (7 for 85), who are pivotal parts of coordinator Bobby Slowik's offense.
"We like the guys we have," Ryans said. "They've been working to understand how we do things, so we're excited to see who steps up next.
"One thing that sticks out (is) all those guys (in) our last game winning their one-on-one opportunities and making plays you're supposed to make."
Even though the Jets are 2-6 with a five-game losing streak, they're fourth in defense, including 17th against the run and second against the pass.
Without Collins and Diggs, look for running backs Joe Mixon and Dare Ogunbowale to play prominent roles in the passing game. Ogunbowale has 15 catches for 155 yards (10.3 average) and one touchdown. Mixon has 14 receptions for 115 yards (8.2 average) and a touchdown.
The Texans are 18th in rushing. To combat the loss of Diggs and Collins, Slowik may rely more on the running game. Mixon averages 100.6 yards rushing, including 4.9 a carry, to go with six touchdowns, five rushing.
In the four games in which he's been healthy, Mixon has surpassed 100 yards each time and averages 119.5 yards and 5.1 a carry.
"Joe still has to be Joe," Ryans said. "Everybody just has to continue to do their job to help our team be successful. Nobody has to do anything extra.
If guys do that collectively, we'll be just fine."
