The Houston Texans could be missing two of their starting offensive linemen when they take on the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium in Week 17.
Left tackle Laremy Tunsil appears to be dealing with a high-ankle sprain that could lead to him sitting on Sunday. However, head coach Romeo Crennel is waiting before he rules Tunsil out, according to Mark Lane of Texans Wire.
“They’ll scope it and whatever they do to see if there’s any major injury or not,” Crennel said on Monday. “They’ll let me know what the prospects are. Whether he’ll play yet, I don’t know yet.”
The other offensive lineman in question is guard Brent Qvale, who suffered a concussion during the Week 16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Crennel provided an update on Qvale on Monday, also:
“It looked like that on the field he wasn’t moving, probably, he was knocked out,” Crennel said. “So, they took him in and they said that he has a concussion. He’s in the protocol, so whether he can make it out this week or not, I’m not sure.”
While a pair of O-line starters missing would normally be an advantage for an opposing defense, that likely won’t be the case for the Titans, who sport the league’s worst pass rush.
Not to mention, we’ve seen teams miss more than two starters upfront against Tennessee (see: Bengals in Week 8) and still have no issue protecting their quarterback or gaining yards on the ground.
The real situation to keep an eye on is with quarterback Deshaun Watson, who injured his hand late in Sunday’s loss.
While not having to face Watson would provide a real, tangible advantage for the Titans’ defense and it makes sense for the Texans to sit him with nothing to play for, Watson has said he will play, and Crennel says he plans to send him out there if he’s healthy.
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