The Houston Texans and C.J. Stroud missed the dynamic WR Tank Dell in their divisional playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens. 

The Ravens won convincingly with a dominating and suffocating second half. The Texans' offense struggled to do everything in this game. 

Losing 34-10 and watching the difficulty of moving the football consistently for the Texans showed how pivotal of a loss Dell is for this offense. 

The Texans offense amassed 213 total yards from scrimmage. They could not run the ball and the pressure from the Ravens defense made life difficult for Stroud. 

Stroud went 19-33 for 175 yards, zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Nico Collins was the only receiver to catch more than one reception the entire game. 

Collins, Devin Singletary, and Dalton Schultz were Stroud's leading receivers. The impact of not having a healthy Dell in this offense was glaring. 

Facing an elite Ravens defense that leads the league in sacks without a receiver that can get open and separate from coverage quickly reared its ugly head today.

Dell's Impact in 2023

Dell was having an amazing rookie campaign before his season-ending injury. He caught 47 of his 75 targets for 709 receiving yards, and seven receiving touchdowns. 

Stroud missed his explosiveness and quick-twitch route running against the Ravens. The impact of a receiver that can create quick wins versus man and zone coverages is unmatched. 

After an amazing rookie season for Stroud, the end was bittersweet. The future is bright in Houston. It happened they were in trouble before this game started without their best one-on-one receiver, Dell.