The Houston Texans are riding a 10-game winning streak as they battle the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round on Sunday. Unfortunately, their chances of pulling off the road upset of the conference’s No. 2 playoff seed might have taken a huge hit with a key injury to one of the Texans’ more essential offensive players.
(Note: Perhaps the ongoing inclement weather in Foxborough might help even things up for Houston, regardless.)
Early on in the game, starting tight end Dalton Schultz had to leave the field and get evaluated in the locker room. He is reportedly dealing with a calf strain, which, given the nature of the soft-tissue injury, understandably makes him questionable to return. It’s not really something you play through, especially when you’re expected to be a dynamic playmaker downfield.
It’s the playoffs, though, so don’t be surprised if the Schultz tries to gut it out as the game wears on with Houston’s season on the line:
Texans TE Dalton Schultz questionable to return with calf injury. Grabbed for it on a red zone play… after taking an earlier pass that drive 42 yards.pic.twitter.com/Lok3WoDAGn
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) January 18, 2026
Schultz’s injury is stacked on top of the absence of Houston’s No. 1 receiver, Nico Collins, who remains in concussion protocol. The Texans can certainly still pull off the win to advance to their first AFC title game in franchise history. It’s just going to be that much harder with two of their best pass targets.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Dalton Schultz injury update: What happened to Texans TE on Sunday?