Houston Texans star receiver Tank Dell went down with an apparent gruesome knee injury in the third quarter of Saturday's contest against the Kansas City Chief. The injury, which led to Dell being carted off the field, was so devastating it had several of his teammates holding back tears on the sidelines.
The injury occurred on a play that Houston initially celebrated -- a 30-yard touchdown catch by Dell from quarterback CJ Stroud that pulled the Texans (9-5) within 17-16 on the scoreboard. As Dell caught the pass in the back of the end zone, however, he was hit near the knee by teammate Jared Wayne, who had also been running a deep route into the end zone.
Dell was quickly tended to by medical personnel before being loaded onto a stretcher. Stroud, who last season called Dell his closest friend on the Texans roster, was emotional watching the aftermath of the play. It could be the second major leg injury of Dell’s career, after a broken leg sidelined him during his rookie season in 2023.
Saturday’s game had long been defined by injuries, after the spotlight all week had been on whether Chiefs (13-1) quarterback Patrick Mahomes would play after suffering an ankle injury only six days earlier. Mahomes started, however, and even rushed for a 15-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
