Houston Texans running back Dare Ogunbowale (33) Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Texans have backup RB kickoff after kicker exits with injury

By Clark Dalton | Last updated 11/5/23

The Houston Texans have a massive dilemma against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn was ruled out with a quad injury.

Houston doesn't have a backup kicker on its active roster, so it had backup running Dare Ogunbowale kickoff at the beginning of the second half. Surprisingly, he didn't botch it, and the play resulted in a touchback.

Dare Ogunbowale kicks it off to start the second half pic.twitter.com/LroDvaNoYz
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 5, 2023

Still, it's a huge concern for the Texans, as they don't have a viable option on extra-point or field-goal attempts. And they've only converted one two-point conversion against Tampa Bay.

Typically, teams don't prepare for injuries to their kicker because they're rare. Regardless, Houston will have to manage without one and probably attempt two-point conversions for the rest of the game.

Entering Week 9, the Texans have a solid passing offense, 11th in the NFL in yards (238.6). Although the unit can move the ball and put points on the board, the unexpected injury puts them at a severe disadvantage.

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