The Green Bay Packers are gearing up to face their second consecutive NFC West opponent this Sunday, welcoming the Arizona Cardinals to Lambeau Field. Although their focus is on the Cardinals this week, they’ve received significant news regarding their Week 7 rival, the Houston Texans.
As reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Texans have placed standout wide receiver Nico Collins on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss the next four games.
The #Texans have placed WR Nico Collins, the NFL’s leading receiver, on Injured Reserve. He’ll be out for four games.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 9, 2024
Heading into Week 6, Collins led the NFL with 567 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He sustained a hamstring injury during Houston’s Week 5 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
With Collins sidelined, the Packers’ secondary will primarily need to focus on receivers Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell. Diggs has tallied 31 catches (on 41 targets) for 315 yards and two touchdowns, while Dell has 13 receptions (on 21 targets) for 137 yards. Dell is likely to see an increase in targets with Collins unavailable.
Green Bay should assign All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander to cover Diggs throughout the game, presenting an intriguing matchup. This will likely leave either Eric Stokes or Carrington Valentine to handle Dell, who possesses the speed to challenge the defense.
However, the Packers must concentrate on defeating Kyler Murray and the Cardinals at Lambeau this Sunday before turning their attention to C.J. Stroud and the Texans’ offense.
Leave a Reply