The Texans will be without star linebacker Brian Cushing for the rest of the season, as he reportedly tore his ACL in the first half of their 23-17 victory over the Jets on Monday:
Brian Cushing injury: Texans LB reportedly tears ACL, out for season
Per league source, MRI confirms Brian Cushing's torn ACL.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 9, 2012
Cushing has been an outstanding player for Houston since they drafted him with the No. 15 overall pick in 2009.
Though he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and was banned by the league for four games at the start of the next season, he was named the Defensive Rookie of the Year and is coming off of an All-Pro season in 2011. In five games in 2012, he had 29 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble.
At 6’3 255, he’s a playmaker all over the line of scrimmage and one of the main cogs in a Texans defense ranked fourth in opposing passing yards and ninth in opposing rushing yards.
Houston will likely turn to seventh-year linebacker Tim Dobbins and hope that Wade Phillips can game-plan around Cushing’s absence as well as he did when Mario Williams went down last year.
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