HOUSTON — As if losing to their division rival Tennessee Titans on Sunday wasn’t bad enough, the Texans got some bad news on the injury front. Safety Jalen Pitre will miss time with a partially torn pectoral muscle, according to NFL Network.
Pitre left Sunday’s game in the second quarter with the injury. Head coach DeMeco Ryans addressed it at the team’s news conference on Monday without giving specifics about how long they’ll be without their third-year safety out of Baylor.
“Jalen has a shoulder injury,” Ryans said. “He’ll be out for some time.”
Pitre has been a solid part of a Texans defense that, even after Sunday’s loss to the Titans, was among the top five in the league in yards allowed per game. Pitre has one interception and one forced fumble to go with 44 solo tackles.
Ryans talked Monday about the effect Pitre’s absence will have on the team.
“He’s just been really active,” Ryans said. “Very instinctive player for us. He’s been all over the field and he’s made a lot of plays for us. And just miss his instincts, miss his playmaking ability. We’re going to miss that. So, we’ve got to pick it up and we’ve got to go. We’ve got to move forward. We’ve got to press forward. Whoever else steps in, we’ve got to hit the ground running.”
Whoever it is will have to help the team figure out how to not allow a repeat of what happened Sunday. The Titans, who came into the game with only two wins, torched the Texans’ defense as Will Levis threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns and Tony Pollard ran for 119 yards and one score.
Houston travels to Jacksonville this Sunday to take on the 2-9 Jaguars.
