Texans Receivers Step Up in Win vs. Patriots

The Houston Texans saw a concerted effort of change from Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 15, 2024

Oct 13, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

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Houston Texans

The Houston Texans pulled out a 41-21 win against the New England Patriots even without the NFL's leading receiver in Nico Collins.

With Collins out, the Texans needed Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell to step up in his absence, and they did exactly that. Both Diggs and Dell caught a touchdown from quarterback C.J. Stroud and the pair accounted for 134 of his 192 receiving yards.

“We have a really talented wide receiver room," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. "Tank and Stef, again, as I mentioned yesterday, it wasn’t a matter of stepping up it was just Tank and Stef being Tank and Stef. They can beat man coverage. It doesn’t matter who they’re going against. They can beat man coverage because they run routes the right way and they’re difficult to cover and so that’ll always be the challenge. Those guys just keep working. If we keep protecting the right way, giving [QB] C.J. [Stroud] time, we feel like we like our matchup versus whoever those guys line up against.”

With Collins out for at least three more games with a hamstring injury, the Texans will need Diggs and Dell to continue playing like they did against the Patriots.

The Texans' next test comes this weekend when they travel to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers.

Stick with TexansGameday for more coverage of the Houston Texans throughout the season.

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Published Oct 15, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.