Updated Jan. 13, 2026, 8:20 p.m. CT
Will the Houston Texans have back Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins for the divisonal round matchup against the New England Patriots?
Right now, it’s leaning towards no, though head coach DeMeco Ryans will let the week pan out before making a final call.
Collins, who was carted off in Monday’s 30-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, remains in concussion protocol as the Texans look to move on to their first conference championship with a road win over New England. He finished the game with three catches for 21 yards.
“We’ll take it one day at a time and see how the guys are doing. Like I said earlier, Nico and Justin [Watson], both guys are in the concussion protocolm” Ryans said Tuesday. “We’ll give the guys their time to rest up and heal properly.”
During the closing minutes of the third quarter, Collins tried to catch a pass over the middle. While battling cornerback Joey Porter Jr., he failed to make the catch, but collided with the ground while landing on top of his helmet against the turf.
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After being helped off the field, Collins went into the medical tent for a concussion evaluation before being driven on the cart off to the locker room for further evaluation.
With it being a short week, it seems unlikely that Collins will be cleared by the league’s protocol standards to return to practice before kickoff on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. Even after passing all the initial tests, he still must practice twice without any symptoms and pass an evaluation by an independent doctor before the team can officially take him off to the protocol list.
Ryans did not rule out Collins for the game, so technically, there’s a chance for him to go full hyperspeed and clear the protocol within the next 48 hours to ensure his status for Sunday, but the margins are slim for that to happen. Houston could wait to clear him until next week, thus ensuring that if the team wins, he’ll be good to go for a chance at playing for a winner-take-all matchup with a spot at the Super Bowl on the line.
The good news for Houston’s passing game is that Christian Kirk lived up to the billing as a quality No. 2 threat. With Collins garnering the double team, the former Jaguars slot receiver totaled a postseason-high eight catches for 144 yards and caught the lone touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud in the second quarter.
“He’s been grinding all season to be an impact player for us. I’m happy it worked out for him in one of our biggest game of the year,” Ryans said of Kirk. “It worked out where he stepped up and he made some critical plays for us to create some explosive passes. I’m happy for him. He deserved that moment.”
Kickoff on ESPN is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday.