Texans Final Injury Report: Blankenship and Montgomery Are Out for Sunday at the Chargers - and Everyone Else on Houston's List Is Clear
The final report is short, and for Houston that is mostly good news. Safety Reed Blankenship (concussion) and running back David Montgomery (groin) are officially out for Sunday's game at SoFi Stadium after missing practice all week - but Jalen Pitre, Azeez Al-Shaair, Braden Smith, Brevin Jordan and Blake Fisher all carry no game status and are clear to play.
The Houston Texans filed their final injury report for Week 9 on Friday, and it confirms what the week had been pointing to. Safety Reed Blankenship and running back David Montgomery are out for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium, Texans Wire reports. Both missed practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - Blankenship with a concussion (and the hand issue that has accompanied it), Montgomery with the groin injury that has sidelined him since Week 5 against Tennessee. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. Central on Sunday.
The replacements are already written in. M.J. Stewart starts again at safety in Blankenship's place, KPRC2's Aaron Wilson reports, and Woody Marks remains the lead running back - RB1 - with Dare Ogunbowale and newly signed Emari Demercado behind him, the same thin room this station detailed in Friday's trade-deadline file. Montgomery's next chance to return is the November 15 game at Cleveland, per the week's reporting.
The rest of Houston's report is the good news the headline promises. Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), tackle Braden Smith (ankle) and tight end Brevin Jordan (foot) all progressed from limited Wednesday practices to full sessions Thursday and Friday and carry no game designation. Nickel Jalen Pitre (shoulder) and tackle Blake Fisher (thumb) were full participants all week. In plain terms: beyond the two starters who were always going to miss this game, the Texans travel to Los Angeles whole.
The Chargers' list is longer. Cornerback Deane Leonard (concussion) and safety Kendall Williamson (calf) are out, and four players are doubtful - receiver Brenen Thompson (hamstring), lineman Kayode Awosika (fibula), tight end David Njoku (fibula) and linebacker Denzel Perryman (pectoral) - while Khalil Mack (rest) and Bud Dupree (illness) are clear. A 2-5 Houston team facing a winless host does not get many edges on paper; Sunday, for once, the injury report is one of them.
