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DJ Bien-Aime, ESPN
HOUSTON — The Texans‘ pass-rusher and pass-catcher groups took hits Thursday for their Week 18 matchup at the Colts on Saturday night.
Texans defensive end Jonathan Greenard and receiver Noah Brown were ruled out for the game (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC/ESPN+), which is a win-and-in playoff scenario for both teams.
Greenard, who has 12.5 sacks, is the Texans’ leader in that category and is tied for 10th in the NFL. He was voted as a Pro Bowl alternate. Brown ranks fourth on the team in receiving yards (567) and showed moments when he was dynamic target for quarterback C.J. Stroud.
In Weeks 9 and 10, Brown totaled 325 yards and a touchdown as the Texans defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Cincinnati Bengals.
On defense, The Texans will lean on defensive end Derek Barnett and Jerry Hughes to replace Greenard, who also missed last week’s victory over the Tennessee Titans. Since the Texans claimed Barnett on Nov. 27, he has started the past three games and has 2.5 sacks with 10 quarterback hits.
The Texans were already without wideout Tank Dell, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos. With Brown out, the Texans will lean on receiver Robert Woods, who’s fifth in yards (426) and their younger receivers in second-year WR John Metchie III paired with rookie Xavier Hutchinson.
Woods is listed as questionable after not practicing this week due to a hip injury.
