Texans Safety Reed Blankenship Leaves London Game With Concussion

Injury in London

The Houston Texans suffered a major setback to their secondary on Sunday during their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Starting safety Reed Blankenship was forced to leave the field in the second quarter after sustaining a concussion.

The injury occurred during a scoring play for Jacksonville. Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten caught a 27 yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Blankenship attempted to make a play on the ball carrier but missed the tackle, allowing Tuten to sprint freely into the end zone for the score. Medical staff evaluated Blankenship shortly after, and he was ruled out for the rest of the match.

Secondary Performance and Depth

Blankenship has been a consistent presence in the lineup, starting every game for Houston this season. The Texans added him to the defense during free agency, signing him to a three year contract worth $24 million.

His play this year has featured some up and down moments in pass defense. Opposing quarterbacks have found success when throwing in his direction, as Blankenship has allowed a 76% completion rate when targeted throughout the season.

Following the injury, backup safety M.J. Stewart stepped into the game to handle the secondary duties for the team.

Linebacker Status and Protocol

The Texans defense faced another potential injury issue during the game when linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was evaluated for a concussion. Fortunately for Houston, Al-Shaair was able to pass tests and returned to play in the second half.

Blankenship will now need to go through the required medical evaluation process before he can be cleared to return to practice or suit up again.

What it means for the next game

New York Giants at Houston Texans (NFL, Sun, 25 Oct): Houston Texans win 74%, New York Giants win 26%; projected score Houston Texans 24, New York Giants 19. Our safest pick: Texans to win.