Texans Rule Out Nico Collins for Second Consecutive Week

The Houston Texans will be without superstar receiver Nico Collins in a crucial divisional matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

by Michael Sakuraba

Sep 25, 2026

Nico Collins of the Houston Texans

Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

It is only Week 3, but the Houston Texans are in desperate need of a win on Sunday over their division rivals from Indianapolis. On Friday, the team learned they will be doing so without their superstar wide receiver Nico Collins.

Collins missed Week 2’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals with a hamstring injury that he suffered at practice. There was some hope that Collins would be able to return to the field, but after not practicing at all this week, the Texans ruled him out for Week 3. For Houston, it means being without their best offensive weapon in a potentially season-defining game on the road.

With a loss, the Texans would open their season 0-3. Only seven teams in NFL history have qualified for the NFL playoffs after starting the season with three straight losses. One of those teams was the Texans in 2025, but the team would rather win this weekend than risk becoming a historical outlier for the second consecutive year.

Their opponents are facing the same dilemma. After losing to the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs to start the year, the Colts also find themselves in the 0-2 hole. The main difference between the two teams has been on the defensive side of the ball. The Colts have allowed an NFL-worst 1,029 yards of offense this season, allowing Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes to put up a combined 74 points on the scoreboard.

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For Collins, it is already another season in which he will miss time due to soft-tissue injuries. Collins has yet to play a full season in his six-year career, and even so, he has managed three consecutive 1,000+ yard seasons. In 2024, Collins suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain that forced him onto Injured Reserve, causing him to miss five games.

When he is on the field, Collins is a dominant receiver, capable of changing the game with one play. Collins’ absence this week is devastating for a team that only mustered six points against the Bengals in Week 2. For Houston, falling to 0-3 puts them against history for a second straight season. No team has accomplished the feat in back-to-back seasons, making Week 3’s game against the Colts a must-win matchup.