Cornerback Steven Nelson is considered questionable to return after sustaining an ankle injury against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14. He is the third Texan to leave the game after injuries to rookies Christian Harris and Kenyon Green shook up Houston’s depth chart earlier in the half.
Nelson has been a rock-solid contributor for the Texans’ defense this season and is one of the more experienced players in the team’s secondary. He has shown an ability to play sticky coverage and make difficult tackles against opponents who attempt to gain yardage when throwing his way. His loss will force the Texans to turn to their depth at the cornerback position, which was already affected by an injury to Derek Stingley Jr. heading into this matchup.
Houston has a chance to tie Dallas heading into halftime and will need to figure out solutions to their patchwork defense moving forward as they seek to secure their second win of the season against their intrastate rival. Watch for head coach Lovie Smith to make adjustments to mitigate the loss of Nelson to keep Dak Prescott from exploiting the team’s lack of depth in the secondary.