The Houston Texans opened their 2023 campaign with a 25-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1, but they should have a decent shot to pull out a victory in Week 2 as they go up against the Indianapolis Colts. With the game quickly approaching, though, the team has gotten a bit of a mixed bag of updates on a pair of key players in C.J. Stroud and Laremy Tunsil.
Stroud was solid in his NFL debut against the Ravens (28/44, 242 YDS, 4 CAR, 20 YDS), but he surprisingly ended up on the Texans injury report on Friday with a shoulder injury. Stroud's status for Week 2 was never truly in doubt, and sure enough, he is expected to take the field for Houston against their division rival in Indianapolis.
Via Ian Rapoport:
“Texans QB C.J. Stroud popped up on the injury report on Friday with a right shoulder injury, but he is expected to play today, source said. He was listed as questionable.”
Arguably the biggest issue Stroud dealt with in his debut was the Ravens pass rush, as he was sacked five times on the day. While the Colts don't have nearly as good of a pass rush as the Ravens do, Stroud won't be too thrilled to see that Tunsil, who is Houston's best offensive lineman, isn't expected to play in this game due to a knee injury he picked up in Week 1.
Via Adam Schefter:
“Texans OT Laremy Tunsil, listed as questionable for Sunday’s game due to a knee injury, is not expected to play vs. the Colts, per source. If Tunsil doesn’t play, he would be the fourth regular offensive line starter that Houston would be without, including both starting tackles.”
As noted above, the Texans offensive line is already in a bad spot, so being without Tunsil could make for another long day at the office for Stroud. However, if he can play like he did in Week 1, Houston should have a decent chance to pick up their first win of the season, even with almost their entire starting offensive line looking likely to miss this game.