The Houston Texans’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was overshadowed by a devastating injury to CJ Stroud‘s key teammate, Tank Dell. With the NFL playoffs approaching, the Texans now face the daunting task of finding a replacement for their star wide receiver.
The injury occurred early in the second half when Dell attempted to make a goal-line catch. In an unfortunate sequence of events, a teammate collided with him as Patrick Mahomes closed in for a tackle. The impact resulted in a severe injury to Dell’s left leg, which was immediately noticed by his teammates.
Stroud and other teammates immediately gathered around Dell, visibly shaken, and offered prayers for his recovery. Medical staff quickly escorted Dell off the field and transported him to the hospital for further evaluation. After the game, Stroud shared his thoughts on Dell’s injury during a media interview.
Fighting back tears, Stroud expressed his emotions: “The only thing you can do is pray. At the end of the day, God still gets the glory. No matter what happens to me, I know I’m here because of the grace of Jesus and the incredible people in my life—and in Dell’s life.“
He continued, “When things go right or wrong, I always turn to prayer. It’s not easy to process, especially since he’s my best friend. Moving forward without him on the field will be a challenge, but I’ll try to use this as motivation and do the best I can.“
Stroud’s teammate offers support for Dell through prayer
As Tank Dell lay injured on the field, Joe Mixon, one of his closest teammates, joined C.J. Stroud in a heartfelt prayer. Mixon, visibly emotional after the game, shared his thoughts with the media about the difficult moment. “Seeing my brother hurt on the ground like that was tough. Injuries like this are something you never want to witness, and when it’s your teammate, screaming in pain, you feel helpless,” Mixon said.
He continued: “All I could do was try to support him, letting him know we’re here for him and praying over him. I reminded him that God’s got him. At the end of the day, you never want to see anyone go through something like that.“
Dell faces familiar adversity with another injury
Tank Dell’s latest injury echoes a similar challenge he faced during the 2023 NFL regular season. On December 4 of that year, Dell suffered a severe ankle injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the season, forcing him to miss the playoff game against the Ravens. As the Texans await an update on the extent of this new injury, teammates remain hopeful that Dell can make a swift recovery, though early signs suggest it could be a significant setback.