Texans Star Carted Off in Wild Card vs Steelers

The Houston Texans saw top wide receiver Nico Collins, carted off in the fourth quarter of their Wild Card action against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Collins, Houston's leading pass-catcher throughout the past three seasons, had his head hit the turf after being tackled on an attempted catch in the third quarter, and would need to be helped off the field by trainers before heading into the blue tent.

After a few moments of being evaluated on the sidelines by the Texans' medical staff, Collins would be carted to the locker room for further evaluation for a concussion, where his status moving forward remains uncertain.

Nico Collins went to the locker room and is being evaluated for a concussion, the Texans announced. pic.twitter.com/sUGNipbmkr
— ESPN (@espn) January 13, 2026

Collins has been listed as questionable to return by the Texans, but by the initial looks of it, Houston probably won't be seeing their number-one pass-catcher back on the field for the rest of the game for their Wild Card contest.

Nico Collins Carted Off With Head Injury vs. Steelers

Being without Collins for any stretch of time for the Texans is undoubtably a huge loss, who's been a pivotal playmaker in Houston's scoring attack all season, no matter who the quarterback is under center, and has led Houston in total targets, yards this year as a result.

Throughout the ups and downs that Houston has faced on the offensive end all night, Collins had been a steady force in C.J. Stroud's arsenal throughout. Before leaving vs. the Steelers, Collins had hauled in three catches for 21 yards, his longest being a 13-yard reception.

It remains to be seen just how long Collins will be forced out for the Texans, but with speculation of a concussion being the prevailing suspicion, his status could be in jeopardy for not only this game against Pittsburgh, but moving forward for whatever playoff run Houston embarks on, if he indeed is diagnosed with a concussion once evaluated further.

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) scores a touchdown Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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During his 15 games of the regular season, Collins has put together 71 catches for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns, his third consecutive season of over 1,000 reception yards, and cementing his name as one of the NFL's premier downfield threats.

For however much time Collins misses, expect the Texans' receiving corps to be led by a combination of their veteran playmakers in Xavier Hutchinson and Christian Kirk, as well as their rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, all of whom have had their respective flashes of production all season long.

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