A pair of Houston Texans wide receivers who have been ruled out for the rest of the season due to gruesome injuries were on hand to watch their team in the AFC wild card round on Saturday.
Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs, two stars who suffered serious leg injuries earlier in the season, were seen walking onto the field at NRG Stadium as the Texans were set to host the Los Angeles Chargers.
Dell was seen coming out of the tunnel on crutches, a symbol of the scary knee injury he suffered on December 22 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
He was injured on a 30-yard touchdown reception in Houston's 27-19 loss on Saturday. He was crossing the back of the end zone and made a spectacular catch on a CJ Stroud pass before colliding with Houston teammate Jared Wayne on the way to the ground.
Dell immediately grabbed his knee and Wayne signaled to the team's trainers, who spent several minutes working with the wide receiver while his teammates waited anxiously.
Dell was eventually placed on a stretcher and taken off the field in a covered medical cart, then taken to the hospital.
Houston Texans receivers Tank Dell (left) and Stefon Diggs (right) arrive before an NFL playoff game.
Dell suffered a season-ending injury in a collision with a teammate in late December.
Diggs suffered a non-contact injury that yielded similar results to Dell in October
It was later revealed that Dell had dislocated his knee and torn his ACL in the collision, among other serious injuries.
It came just over a month after Diggs also suffered a serious knee injury, a non-contact injury that nevertheless ended his season.
Diggs was playing against the Indianapolis Colts when he injured his knee and it was later revealed that it was also a torn ACL.
Both injuries left the Texans depleted at the catcher position, which was widely considered the best-equipped position on the team.
Houston's top three receivers are Nico Collins (who also missed some time this season due to injury), John Metchie III and Robert Woods.
Other pass-catching options for Texans quarterback CJ Stroud include receiver Diontae Johnson, who they drafted after Dell's injury, as well as tight ends Dalton Schultz, Cade Stover and Irv Smith Jr.
Houston won the AFC South division for the second consecutive season and hopes to capitalize on last season's success.
In the 2023 campaign, the Texans went from being the second worst team in the league to reaching the AFC Divisional round, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.