Nico Collins’ absence from practice Friday effectively ensured he will miss the Houston Texans’ divisional round playoff game against the host New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon.
The Pro Bowl wide receiver has not practiced since sustaining a concussion Monday in the third quarter of Houston’s 30-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round.
The NFL concussion protocol requires players to complete two symptom-free practices, including a contact session, before returning to game action.
Houston’s top receiver this season, Collins had three catches for 21 yards in his abbreviated appearance in Pittsburgh. Christian Kirk stepped up with eight receptions for a career-best 144 yards and grabbed quarterback C.J. Stroud’s lone touchdown pass.
Wideout Justin Watson also remained out after being concussed against the Steelers.
Collins totaled 71 catches, 1,117 yards and six TDs in the regular season for Houston, the league’s No. 13 scoring offense. Defensively, the Texans allowed the fewest yards (277.2 per game) and second-fewest points (17.4), signaling they could potentially trouble the Patriots’ second-ranked offense (28.8 points).
Houston, the AFC’s fifth seed, is vying to reach its first conference championship game. Past Texans teams were defeated in six divisional rounds, including by the Kansas City Chiefs last season and the Tom Brady-led Patriots in 2012 and 2016.
