The Texans' defense will try to recover from the double whammy of losing end J.J. Watt and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus for the season. Both will undergo surgery to repair injuries on the first series of the team's 42-34 loss to Kansas City.
Watt suffered a fractured tibial plateau in his left knee. Mercilus had already gone down with a torn pectoral muscle.
"It hurts," outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney said today. "It's a big blow to the team. A lot of our game-planning was (built) around those two. We have to find a way to regroup because there's a lot of season left.