As the Texans faced first-and-20, while trailing the Giants 14–6 late in the second quarter, a familiar face reemerged wearing the team’s all-red alternates in the middle of the field: Tank Dell. On the play, quarterback C.J. Stroud delivered the football to Dell, who turned up the field and ran for a 43-yard gain as the crowd roared in approval.
The play marked Dell’s first catch in 673 days, since he went down with a severe knee injury in the Texans’ Week 16 loss to the Chiefs in 2024. Dell was in the midst of a promising second NFL season when he tore multiple ligaments and dislocated his kneecap while catching a touchdown in the loss, causing him to miss the remainder of the 2024 campaign as well as the entire 2025 season. He had previously been a reliable target for Stroud since they were both rookies in 2023, recording 98 receptions for 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns over his first 25 games.
