Cecil Shorts, Nate Washington will miss Thursday’s game

Posted by Josh Alper on October 7, 2015, 3:50 PM EDT
AP

The Texans are going to be shorthanded at wide receiver against the Colts on Thursday night.

Houston ruled out Cecil Shorts (shoulder) and Nate Washington (hamstring) on Wednesday afternoon, which means they’ll head into the game with an inexperienced group of wideouts to go with DeAndre Hopkins. Rookies Keith Mumphrey, Chandler Worthy and Jaelen Strong make up the rest of the receiving corps and they’ve combined for nine catches through four weeks.

Strong hasn’t had any of those catches because he hasn’t played in a regular season game yet. The third-round pick should change that on Thursday night and Strong said this week, via the Houston Chronicle, that he’s “ready to go out there and do what I’m coached to do.”

The Texans also ruled out safety Quintin Demps, linebacker Akeem Dent and running back Jonathan Grimes with hamstring injuries. Safety Lonnie Ballentine (knee), linebacker Whitney Mercilus (thigh) and running back Chris Polk (knee) are all questionable. If Polk can’t play, Arian Foster and Alfred Blue are the only two other backs currently on the 53-man roster.

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8 responses to “Cecil Shorts, Nate Washington will miss Thursday’s game”

  1. O’Brien blew it by having Shorts on the field for the last play of the ATL blowout. He got hurt on a completely meaningless play. Surprised he hasn’t caught more flack for it.

  2. So either Hopkins is gonna rack up 37 targets & gain like 200 yards, or the Colts will be able to afford to dedicate 2 defenders to shut him down at all times because they know the other guys can’t hurt them.

  3. chc4 beat me to it, but if you need more proof of what an idiot O’Brien is, he had all the starters in until the very end of the game (Watt included). putting injuries aside (which happened), you have a short week with a game in four days. your starters need the rest and you aren’t coming back from 42. can someone explain this to me?!?!?!?

    in any event, it doesn’t matter who the receivers are because not even jerry rice can catch the balls that mallet throws. they are either 100 mphs hour, at the receivers’ ankles and behind them, or 15 yards off target. i would suggest that we punt on first down and just let our D play, but our special teams are so bad even that wouldn’t work.

  4. As a Colts fan I am a little nervous entering this game. The comments from Texans fans above are making me feel better. Thanks.

    Unlike other fan bases, we can have an argument about which team will lose (each of us arguing for our own to fall apart).

    I would really hate to see Watt end Luck’s season with a perfectly typical and legal sack simply because Luck’s shoulder is not ready for abuse. Then again, Hasselbeck’s “best” pass of last week, 23 yards in OT was about four yards behind the receiver, meaning he had to come back and fall to catch it rather than run free to the end zone (since he was that open). So neither QB option really inspires me this week–then again, both are officially questionable, anyway!

    Indy’s D has been doing pretty well, which is nice, but the RBs can’t hold on to the ball (especially near the goal line)… this might just end up being a 13-10 game, decided by: (A) a Watt strip-sack-fumble-return, (B) whichever team is healthier, or (C) whichever rushing game finally figures it out.

  6. Gore has never been a fumbler. I see this fumblitis being cured tomorrow night by Frank. Gore is a competitor & he’s has to be furious at the Indy start & his mistakes. Look for him to run very physical & have a monster game if the Colts can open holes for him.

  7. I predict that Gore, Johnson, and Hasselbeck will have their best game tonight.. I’m a Texans fan through and through, however we just do not have enough intensity, or like Bill calls it “juice” on either side of the ball.

  8. More than likely this game will hinge on whether Foster is up to par. . . . or 8 carries for 10 yards. . .getting in condition.

    With Short and Washington both gone. . . you’d figure that Hopkins is going to be well covered. . . and the rookies who have combined for 9 catches this season . . .and the tight ends. . . well. . . maybe 9 for them as well but that seems a lot. . .

    This new challenge for an offense that has really struggled in the first half . . .

    But then the Colts are going with Emergency Room visitor Hasselback. . . tough call

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