Houston Texans wide receiver Robert Woods missed all three practice sessions ahead of their Divisional Round matchup, raising concerns about his availability against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, Jan. 18. He is officially listed as questionable. Will he play?
What Is Robert Woods’ Injury?
Woods suffered a hip contusion close to the end of the Texans’ Week 18 game against the Tennessee Titans. The wide receiver sat out for the remainder of the game and was doubtful in the buildup to the Wild Card Weekend outing against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Nevertheless, Woods took the field last Saturday, tallying two receptions for 22 yards on four targets. He did not show any visible signs of discomfort on the day.
Woods also suffered a foot injury earlier in the season, missing two weeks of regular-season action.
Will Woods Play vs. the Chiefs?
In addition to missing Thursday’s final practice session of the week, Woods missed Tuesday and Wednesday as well. The 32-year-old veteran’s availability for Houston’s game against the Chiefs would normally be in serious jeopardy, but given his availability in the Wild Card Round and the gravity of the game, it seems there’s still a chance he could play.
Furthermore, the Texans, whose receiving corps has been depleted over the course of this season, could use more bodies on offense, potentially calling for Woods’ availability more than usual.
How Would Woods’ Absence Impact Texans?
The Texans are missing two of their top wide receivers — Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs — against the Chiefs. While Diggs went down with his knee injury in late October, Dell tore his ACL, MCL, and LCL in the Texans’ loss to Kansas City in Week 16 and will need multiple surgeries before staging a comeback.
This means that the Texans will need as much help as they can muster this Saturday. If Woods is ruled out for the upcoming game as well, their depth chart will be down to only five receivers (Collins, John Metchie III, Xavier Hutchinson, Jared Wayne, and Alex Erickson).
Woods is also the Texans’ designated punt returner when fit, meaning that their special teams would also be impacted by his absence.
Veteran running back Joe Mixon is also questionable ahead of their Divisional Round game, though he is expected to play.