In a rare Saturday NHL game, the Baltimore Ravens finally defeated their boogeyman in the Pittsburgh Steelers, clinching a playoff berth and keeping their AFC North chances alive in the process.
However, that wasn’t the only game to take place on Saturday. Earlier in the day, the the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans to move ever closer to clinching the AFC’s No. 1 seed, but unfortunately, the game was marred by a horrible injury.
Early in the third quarter, Texans wide receiver Tank Dell suffered a gruesome knee injury while coming down with a 30-yard touchdown, with teammates visibly emotional around him as he left the field in an ambulance. On Monday, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed Dell suffered a dislocated knee, including a torn ACL and other damage, and will miss the rest of the season. Dell already suffered a fractured fibula late last season and minor injuries in an offseason shooting, so this just adds to an extremely saddening string of events for the young wideout.
Ahead of the Ravens’ Christmas Day showdown with the Texans on Christmas Day, star safety Kyle Hamilton took the time to show some support for Dell and other Houston players battling injuries.
“Unfortunately, they’ve had some injuries and stuff like that, so it’s going to be a little different team,” Hamilton told reporters Sunday. “[I’m] praying for those guys that they have over there. I know they had a few receivers [go down]. Obviously, Tank just got hurt – hate to see that in this league, no matter who [we’re] playing. It’s a part of the game, but it’s tough to watch, and [I’m] praying for him and all those guys over there.”
Dell, a 2023 third-round pick from Houston, has shown great promise through his first two NFL seasons. He had 47 receptions for 709 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, then followed it up with 51 receptions for 667 yards and three touchdowns this season. It’s sad to see any player suffer such horrible injury luck, but especially one with so much potential like Dell.
Unfortunately, football is a cruel sport, so the Texans must move forward without Dell, and the Ravens will go out and play their hardest all the same.
