Although the Naperville badly wanted to play, Houston Texans Pro Bowl tight end Owen Daniels is inactive for tonight’s game with a hip injury.
Daniels leads the Texans with five receiving touchdowns.
The Texans are also without nose tackle Shaun Cody, cornerback Roc Carmichael, safety Troy Nolan, backup running back Ben Tate, guard Cody White and guard Brandon Brooks.
For the Bears, the inactives are: receiver Alshon Jeffrey, receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, guard Edwin Williams, nose tackle Matt Toeaina, tight end Brody Eldridge, defensive tackle Amobi Okoye and defensive end Cheta Ozougwu.
Garrett Graham, who has 10 catches for 122 yards and one touchdown, will start at tight end.
This is a significant loss for the Texans because Daniels is a key cog in the offense. This season, he’s got 37 catches for 478 yards and five touchdowns. More important than that, though, he’s sort of a safety blanket for quarterback Matt Schaub. Now, the quarterback may look more often for running back Arian Foster.
