KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Texans wide receiver Tank Dell was taken to the University of Kansas Medical Center and the team said he would remain overnight after sustaining a severe left knee injury while making a 30-yard touchdown catch in a 27-19 loss to the Chiefs on Saturday.
Dell was coming across the back of the end zone and made a spectacular catch on a pass from C.J. Stroud before colliding with Houston teammate Jared Wayne on the way to the ground. Dell immediately grabbed at his knee and Wayne signaled for team trainers, who spent several minutes working on the wide receiver while teammates waited anxiously.
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Dell was eventually placed on a stretcher and driven in a covered medical cart off the field, and then he was taken to the hospital.
“We'll get an update (Monday) on him,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “All of our thoughts and prayers are with Tank right now. You see what he means to our entire team. It hurts to see him go down like that. He was having a fantastic game.”
Dell had six catches for 98 yards and the touchdown when he was hurt with 11:40 left in the third quarter.
Stroud, who is one of Dell's closest friends, was visibly shaken. He had tears in his eyes as he watched Dell get loaded onto the cart, and Stroud was still getting consoled by teammates when he walked back to the Houston sideline.
“It's not easy to just let it go, especially (because) that's my best friend. It's not easy to move on and keep playing,” Stroud said. “I tried to do the best I could. My teammates helped me up. I appreciate the guys talking to me as I was going through it.”
The touchdown should have tied the game, but Ka'imi Fairbairn missed the ensuing extra point. The Chiefs took advantage of the momentum swing and marched 80 yards for a touchdown and a 24-16 lead, and they put away the game from there.
“You see your brother go down and get hurt that way, it’s hard to bounce back,” Ryans said. “You see him and how distraught he was, it’s hard to bounce back. It’s hard to rebound, because we care about each other. It’s not just about getting back to football. We truly care about each other, and in that moment, the most important thing was making sure that Tank was OK.”
It's the second straight year Dell has sustained what is certain to be a season-ending injury. He fractured his fibula in Week 13 against the Broncos last season, just as the rookie was breaking out, and had surgery on it the following day.
Then in April, the 25-year-old wide receiver was an innocent bystander at a private event in Sanford, Florida, when he sustained a minor gunshot wound. Dell spent a brief amount of time in the hospital but was able to return to Houston soon afterward.
“He loves this game so much. I don’t think that’s much of a question,” Texans receiver Xavier Hutchinson said. “He’s going to fight back. He’s going to come back even stronger, like he did this year. It’s only a matter of time.”
Dell was the second Texans player carted off Saturday. Free safety Jimmie Ward hurt his foot late in the first half.
Earlier in the game, the Texans' banged-up offensive line lost starting guard Shaq Mason to a knee injury on the fourth play, and backup lineman Blake Fisher had to be helped off with an undisclosed injury later in the first half. Their injuries came after Juice Scruggs, another starter on the offensive line, was declared inactive because of a foot injury.
Kansas City also sustained some significant injuries on a chilly, wind-swept Saturday.
The biggest was to defensive tackle Chris Jones, who was unable to finish after straining a calf. Chiefs coach Andy Reid would not say whether he thought the two-time All-Pro would be able to play against Pittsburgh on Christmas Day.
Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor did not return after straining his knee, while backup linebacker Jack Cochrane is likely done for the season after he fractured his ankle while blocking on a special teams early in the game.
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