The Houston Texans clinched a playoff spot after winning the AFC South in their 20-12 Week 15 win over the Miami Dolphins, but they would lose so much more with Tank Dell after facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs in an attempt to improve their playoff standings.
Dell snagged a beautiful 30-yard touchdown pass from CJ Stroud to make it a one-point game, but the 25-year-old wideout immediately grabbed his knee after teammate Jared Wayne bumped into Dell while diving for the ball.
Medical staff immediately rushed onto the field to assist Dell as he would be placed on a stretcher and taken to a nearby hospital.
Despite his condition, it would not stop Chiefs players from mocking him.
In the fourth quarter, Texans quarterback CJ Stroud was sacked, and players began performing Tank Dell’s celebration.
Here is how some on social media reacted:
“Keep beating these pretenders and small fish Chiefs. Makes what’s gonna happen in the playoffs so much sweeter,” one fan said.
Another fan is hoping for karma to step in: “Chiefs have some serious karma coming ☠️.”
“Tank Dell copyrighted that cally for sure,” another fan added.
“Texan fans are justified here, what a shameless thing to do. Typical Chiefs behavior though,” a fourth fan added.
“Are we surprised that the team that gets everything handed to them are acting like spoiled little brats?! 😂 This falls right into the type of organization the Chiefs are. They’ll be looking around like John Travolta when Taylor moves on, and the NFL stops assisting on every win,” another X user said.
A final fan added: “No way that happened?? Crazy and so disrespectful. Not surprising for the Chiefs.”
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans later revealed that Dell suffered a “significant knee injury” and would stay in Kansas City overnight for further evaluation.
Dell, a third-round pick out of the University of Houston in 2023, ranks second on the team with 51 receptions for 667 yards and three touchdowns.
Tank Dell Diagnosed With Broken Knee Cap
On Saturday, Tank Dell hauled in a pass in the end zone in a 27-19 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
That would be his final play of the year.
Teammate Jared Wayne crashed into Dell’s left leg, and it was pretty clear right away that Dell had suffered a serious leg injury.
Hours after the game, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Dell had sustained a dislocated knee cap and that surgery was a possibility.