Texans WR Tank Dell hospitalized after severe knee injury on TD catch vs. Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Texans broad receiver Tank Dell was taken to the College of Kansas Medical Heart and the workforce mentioned he would stay in a single day after sustaining a extreme left knee damage whereas making a 30-yard landing catch in a 27-19 loss to the Chiefs on Saturday.

Dell was coming throughout the again of the tip zone and made a spectacular catch on a move from C.J. Stroud earlier than colliding with Houston teammate Jared Wayne on the best way to the bottom. Dell instantly grabbed at his knee and Wayne signaled for workforce trainers, who spent a number of minutes engaged on the broad receiver whereas teammates waited anxiously.

Dell was finally positioned on a stretcher and pushed in a coated medical cart off the sector, after which he was taken to the hospital.

“We’ll get an replace (Monday) on him,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans mentioned. “All of our ideas and prayers are with Tank proper now. You see what he means to our complete workforce. It hurts to see him go down like that. He was having a improbable sport.”

Dell had six catches for 98 yards and the landing when he was harm with 11:40 left within the third quarter.

Stroud, who’s one among Dell’s closest pals, was visibly shaken. He had tears in his eyes as he watched Dell get loaded onto the cart, and Stroud was nonetheless getting consoled by teammates when he walked again to the Houston sideline.

“It’s not straightforward to only let it go, particularly (as a result of) that’s my greatest good friend. It’s not straightforward to maneuver on and preserve enjoying,” Stroud mentioned. “I attempted to do the perfect I may. My teammates helped me up. I recognize the blokes speaking to me as I used to be going by means of it.”

The landing ought to have tied the sport, however Ka’imi Fairbairn missed the following additional level. The Chiefs took benefit of the momentum swing and marched 80 yards for a landing and a 24-16 lead, and so they put away the sport from there.

“You see your brother go down and get harm that method, it’s laborious to bounce again,” Ryans mentioned. “You see him and the way distraught he was, it’s laborious to bounce again. It’s laborious to rebound, as a result of we care about one another. It’s not nearly getting again to soccer. We actually care about one another, and in that second, a very powerful factor was ensuring that Tank was OK.”

It’s the second straight yr Dell has sustained what is definite to be a season-ending damage. He fractured his fibula in Week 13 towards the Broncos final season, simply because the rookie was breaking out, and had surgical procedure on it the next day.

Then in April, the 25-year-old broad receiver was an harmless bystander at a non-public occasion in Sanford, Florida, when he sustained a minor gunshot wound. Dell spent a quick period of time within the hospital however was in a position to return to Houston quickly afterward.

“He loves this sport a lot. I don’t suppose that’s a lot of a query,” Texans receiver Xavier Hutchinson mentioned. “He’s going to combat again. He’s going to come back again even stronger, like he did this yr. It’s solely a matter of time.”

Dell was the second Texans participant carted off Saturday. Free security Jimmie Ward harm his foot late within the first half.

Earlier within the sport, the Texans’ banged-up offensive line misplaced beginning guard Shaq Mason to a knee damage on the fourth play, and backup lineman Blake Fisher needed to be helped off with an undisclosed damage later within the first half. Their accidents got here after Juice Scruggs, one other starter on the offensive line, was declared inactive due to a foot damage.

Kansas Metropolis additionally sustained some vital accidents on a cold, wind-swept Saturday.

The most important was to defensive sort out Chris Jones, who was unable to complete after straining a calf. Chiefs coach Andy Reid wouldn’t say whether or not he thought the two-time All-Professional would be capable to play towards Pittsburgh on Christmas Day.

Chiefs proper sort out Jawaan Taylor didn’t return after straining his knee, whereas backup linebacker Jack Cochrane is probably going achieved for the season after he fractured his ankle whereas blocking on a particular groups early within the sport.

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