The Houston Texans improved to 4-1 with an exciting win over Buffalo on Sunday, marking their best start since they won five straight games to begin the 2012 season.
However, the victory came at a cost as Nico Collins, who is leading the NFL with 567 receiving yards, hurt his hamstring and is likely to miss this week’s game.
Collins left the field during the 23-20 win after scoring on a 67-yard catch late in the first quarter.
Coach DeMeco Ryans didn’t give a clear answer when asked if Collins would play on Sunday, but his response suggested that the team might be without him for a while.
“He’s in good spirits (but) of course, with the hamstring, it takes a couple of weeks for a hamstring,” Ryans said Monday. “So we’ll evaluate that on a week-to-week basis to see when we can get him back.”
If Collins can’t play on Sunday, it will put more pressure on an offense that is already missing running back Joe Mixon. He rushed for 159 yards in the season opener but got injured in Week 2 and hasn’t played since. Ryans mentioned that Mixon is getting better but isn’t sure when he will return.
The Texans had a strong lead of 20-3 against the Bills but faced challenges on offense in the second half after Collins went out.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud threw an interception and had his first fumble of the season during a sack in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Bills to tie the game before Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a 59-yard field goal to win it as time expired.
“The first half went really well. We were moving the ball like we wanted, running the ball,” Stroud said. “In the second half … we were just shooting ourselves in the foot again, just taking penalties.
I missed a couple of reads on my throws and had the two turnovers. When you play like that, you give them opportunities to come back.”
