The Houston Texans might have some confidence after handing the Cincinnati Bengals their first loss of the season, but getting back-to-back wins could prove to be difficult with injuries hitting the roster. Playing on a short week is never easy for any NFL team, but the Texans are preparing to do so without their starting quarterback and potentially their leading receiver as Brian Hoyer has been ruled out while DeAndre Hopkins misses practice.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Hoyer has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the New York Jets after suffering a concussion that resulted in memory loss. As a result, the Texans will start TJ Yates who entered in the third quarter for Hoyer and secured the game with a touchdown pass to Hopkins. According to Yates, he is ready to fill in when needed for Hoyer which will come against the Jets on Sunday.
The Texans also signed Brandon Weeden according to ESPN.com, Weeden was released earlier in the week from the Dallas Cowboys after getting replaced by Matt Cassel. This is the former first-round draft picks' third team in the league. Right now considering he just joined the Texans, Yates is considered the better option. However, repeating the success from Monday night will be tough.
"It's a challenge for T.J. to catch himself up," offensive coordinator George Godsey said, via ESPN.com. "Going into a game as a backup, you have a certain plan. As a starter, it's different. ... We're going to have to spend a lot of time, T.J. and I, just making sure we put the unit in the best position."
Another issue for the Texans is the absence of Hopkins who is dealing with a knee injury. According to the Houston Chronicle, Hopkins has missed two straight practices this week, but has not yet been ruled out for Sunday's game. Not having Hopkins would be rough for Houston considering he is their top healthy target. He played in 63 snaps on Monday night while grabbing the game-winning touchdown pass. With Darrelle Revis set to track him the entire game, Hopkins need to be a full strength.
Without Hopkins, the receiving game would rest on the shoulders of Nate Washington and Cecil Shorts. Jaelen Strong could also be active as he continues to remain a mystery for the Texans. Houston needs more from their run game as well, especially Alfred Blue. After losing Arian Foster, Blue was expected to be the workhorse. He has received the bulk of the carries, but it is Jonathan Grimes making a bigger impact. Blue had just 22 yards off 12 carries while Grimes managed 33 yards off six carries. While it is not a huge difference, Grimes could end up being the better rusher for Week 11 against a stout run defense.
