The 2025 NFL season has started awfully for the Houston Texans. They are 0-3 after losing to the Los Angeles Rams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The offense has been awful, but DeMeco Ryans isn't blaming anyone yet. They need all hands on deck to get back on track and win this week's game against the Tennessee Titans. They have a mixed injury report before the game starts, but they might be able to withstand the injuries anyway.
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported that the injury report was mixed, with cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. being questionable and wide receiver Nico Collins being ready to go. Stingley suffered an oblique injury during the second quarter of Week 3's game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, which took him out of the mix for the entire second half. Collins played most of the snaps last week before suffering a knee injury.
Derek Stingley Jr. was a limited participant in team practice for their third and final practice of the week, not seen for their session available to the media on Friday, and did not participate in the previous two.
Expect Stingley's status to become much clearer for the Texans leading to kickoff later this weekend. If he is forced to miss his first game of the season, expect much bigger responsibilities for Kamari Lassiter and Tremon Smith in the secondary.
Nico Collins caught eight of his 11 receptions against the Jaguars, including a touchdown and a fumble, before tweaking his knee. He will be available on Sunday, and it might've been a case where the Texans wanted to give him load management and rest, and his knee would be fine for Sunday.
The Houston Texans are desperate to win their first game this season. It would be much better if they had Stingley available. This defense must carry this team due to how inconsistent the offense has been.
The Tennessee Titans are also struggling to start the year. The top overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cam Ward, has been solid at best under center, but the rest of the Titans have struggled to move the ball much and find any consistency on defense. This could be exactly what the Texans need to get back on track, finally.
