Nico Collins out for Texans in divisional round vs. Patriots with concussion

Cbssports reports the Houston Texans will be without top wideout Nico Collins for Sunday's divisional round showdown against the New England Patriots after he was ruled out with a concussion.

Collins was injured late in the third quarter of Houston's 30-6 wild card victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers after catching three passes for 21 yards and did not practice on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday as he attempted to work through the concussion protocol. In 15 regular-season games he had 71 receptions for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns, tying Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in franchise history with three, and he entered the postseason with the fifth-most playoff receiving yards per game (91.8) in NFL history (minimum four games).

With Collins out, more pressure will fall on Jayden Higgins and Xavier Hutchinson, though Christian Kirk — who caught eight of nine targets for a career-high 144 yards and a touchdown in the wild card round — is the receiver to watch. The Patriots' defense presents a stiff challenge after holding the Chargers to 16-3 in that game, and while Stroud has produced 300-yard games without Collins (30-of-39 for 318 yards in Week 8 vs. the 49ers), Collins is ruled out for Sunday and no further status was provided in the report.

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Sports, Nico Collins, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, C.j. Stroud, Christian Kirk