Texans, 49ers Reveal Multiple Key Inactives for Week 8 Showdown
There's set to be multiple names of note out of the picture for both the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers for their Week 8 matchup on the horizon.
Here's the full inactives list for each side:
Houston Texans Inactives
- WR Nico Collins
- WR Christian Kirk
- QB Graham Mertz
- DE Darrell Taylor
- OT Trent Brown
- OT Jarrett Kingston
San Francisco 49ers Inactives
- QB Brock Purdy
- WR Ricky Pearsall
- DL Yetur Gross-Matos
- OL Jake Brendel
- DL Bryce Huff
- RB Jordan James
- DL C.J. West
On the Texans side, the biggest name of mention is their star wide receiver, Nico Collins, who will miss his first game of the 2025 season with a concussion he suffered in Week 7 vs. the Seattle Seahawks, and will look to make his return vs. the Denver Broncos next weekend.
Veteran Christian Kirk will also be out for this one, making for his second straight missed contest with a hamstring injury––and his fourth game missed thus far this season. Reports suggest that Kirk should be back on the field in Week 9 vs. Denver, but for now, he'll be stuck to the sidelines.
With Kirk and Collins out, the Texans will likely turn to their rookie tandem of Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, while also handing a few more targets to Xavier Hutchinson and tight end Dalton Schultz.
The Texans' pair of reserve tackles, Trent Brown and Jarrett Kingston, will also remain inactive for this one. Since they signed to the active roster earlier in the season, neither has yet to be elevated to the gameday roster for Houston.
Rookie quarterback Graham Mertz lands his typical inactive status, filling in as the Texans' emergency third quarterback.
The 49ers will also be without multiple critical names as well. Quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall will be down on the offensive side of the ball, leaving Mac Jones as the starter once again.
Their front seven will also be without two key depth pieces in defensive ends Yetur Gross-Matos and Bryce Huff––perhaps making the day just a bit easier for this Texans' offensive line that's faced a bit of ups and downs through six games.
Kickoff between the Texans and 49ers lands at 12 PM CT at NRG Stadium.
Kyle Dugger Absence vs. Browns Strains Patriots Secondary
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — With their Week 8 matchup against the Cleveland Browns set to kick off at
The Patriots (5-2) enter this matchup on the heels of a dominant 31-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Cleveland (1-5) also won its Week 7 contest against the Miami Dolphins by a score of 31-6 at Huntington Bank Field.
With just over an hour until the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, the Patriots and Browns have released their lists of inactives:
PATRIOTS INACTIVES:
S Kyle Dugger
LB Caleb Murphy
WR Efton Chism, III
DE Eric Gregory
DE Keion White
G Caedan Wallace
QB Tommy DeVito (3rd QB)
What it Means for the Patriots:
Dugger entered the weekend as questionable for Week 8 with a knee injury. The Lenoir-Rhyne product did not participate the the Pats final practice of the week and was the lone Patriot to be listed on their ultimate injury and practice participation report.
This season, Dugger has appeared in all seven games [making four starts] while compiling 17 total tackles. Due to his preseason and early-season struggles, the former Pats’ team captain has been the subject of both trade and release rumors — the former of which are expected to continue up to the NFL’s
Throughout his five-plus seasons in Foxborough, Dugger has appeared in 81 regular season games, making 69 starts. He also started his only playoff appearance in 2021. The Decatur, Georgia native has compiled 441 total tackles, nine interceptions and two fumble recoveries, while scoring three defensive touchdowns. His extensive knowledge of the Patriots playbook made him the logical choice to serve as their starter with veteran Jaylinn Hawkins being sidelined for the past two games with a hamstring injury.
Despite having just been signed by the Patriots on Oct. 15, defensive back Richie Grant’s elevation from the practice squad may indicate that he is likely to inherit some of the reps normally allotted to Dugger. The veteran safety was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an unrestricted free agent this past offseason but was released prior to the start of the season. Throughout his four seasons in the NFL, the 6’0” 200-pound defensive back has played in 67 games with 33 starts and has accumulated 264 total tackles, three sacks, three interceptions, 17 passes-defensed and 11 special teams tackles.
The Patriots may also turn to second-year defensive back Dell Pettus, perhaps the more-likely choice to receive Dugger’s reps. Pettus has logged 10 total tackles, one forced fumble and one run-stuff in reserve duty this season.
BROWNS INACTIVES:
QB Shedeur Sanders
CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse
S Damontae Kazee
RB Raheim Sanders
G Zack Zinter
T Cornelius Lucas
DT Adin Huntington
