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Nick Chubb’s night against the Kansas City Chiefs ended early with a ribs injury, and he was officially ruled out for the rest of the Texans’ Week 14 win in Kansas City. It turned what was supposed to be a balanced backfield into the Woody Marks show, with a surprise Dare Ogunbowale cameo right when it mattered most.
Nick Chubb Injury Update
Nick Chubb left the Texans, Chiefs Sunday night game with a ribs injury in the first half and was later downgraded to out, meaning he did not return. Early on, the only official word was that he was “questionable to return,” but as the game wore on, the team updated his status and shut him down for the night.
The Houston Texans, posting on X under the handle @HoustonTexans, shared an injury update noting that running back Nick Chubb (#21) is questionable with a ribs injury, a brief but important status update amplified through their partnership tag of @ShariffLawFirm.
Before the injury, Chubb barely had time to get going: he played just six offensive snaps and logged one carry for three yards in what was clearly shaping up to be a pass‑heavy script with C.J. Stroud dealing.
While the passing game kept humming, losing Chubb so early forced Houston to lean harder on rookie Woody Marks than they probably wanted in such a physical, high‑stakes matchup.
For Texans fans, seeing Chubb down again, especially after everything he’s gone through in his career, hits a little harder than a typical “RB questionable with ribs” alert.
The whole idea of signing him was to give this young offense a proven closer in big games; instead, Houston suddenly had to find that stability on the fly in one of the biggest spots of its season.
What Happened to Nick Chubb?
Nick Chubb suffered a ribs injury in the second quarter of the Texans’ Week 14 showdown with the Chiefs, though it isn’t clear from reports exactly which play did the damage. The team simply announced that he had a ribs issue and was questionable to return, then later updated the designation to out for the rest of the game.
This wasn’t one of those obvious, slow‑motion, everyone‑covers-their-mouths hits you see replayed a hundred times. Beat writers and national outlets note that Chubb left in the second quarter, but they don’t pinpoint a single collision or tackle as the moment it happened, which usually suggests either a pile‑up shot to the midsection or pain that worsened over a couple of plays.
By the time the Texans went into the half, Chubb was on the sidelines and off the box score, with Marks taking basically everything at running back.
From there, the dominoes were obvious on the field:
- Woody Marks essentially turned into a workhorse, logging 18 carries for 49 rushing yards plus two catches for eight yards and a touchdown in this must‑win spot.
- When Marks himself got banged up late and had to step out briefly, veteran Dare Ogunbowale came in cold and promptly punched in a huge fourth‑quarter touchdown that gave Houston a 17–10 lead.
That sequence is the kind of thing fantasy managers both hate and secretly love: Chubb out with injury, Marks doing all the hard work between the 20s, and then Ogunbowale swooping in for the goal‑line score.
For Houston, though, it was simply about survival and finishing off the defending champs, even if it meant riding their third running back in the biggest drive of the night.
When Will He Return?
Right now, there is no confirmed public timetable for Nick Chubb’s return from his ribs injury, only that he was ruled out for the remainder of the Chiefs game.
The Texans and major outlets have not yet announced whether the issue is something minor and day‑to‑day or serious enough to threaten multiple weeks, so anything more specific would just be guessing.
Given standard NFL practice, the next meaningful clues will come from:
- The Texans’ first injury report of the week (DNP vs. limited vs. full).
- Whether local reporters mention additional tests, imaging on the ribs, pain management plans, or comments from DeMeco Ryans.
From a usage and depth‑chart standpoint, though, the short‑term picture is pretty straightforward if Chubb has to miss time. With Joe Mixon already out for the season, the Texans turned this game into a two‑man backfield of Marks and Chubb, and once Chubb exited and Marks temporarily limped off, Ogunbowale was the only healthy true running back left.
Reports even noted that if things got worse, Houston might have had to use wide receiver Jaylin Noel in a pseudo‑RB role just to get through the night, which tells you how thin they are.
Disclaimer: The information above is based on publicly available reports, in-game observations, and official team updates at the time of writing. No detailed medical diagnosis or recovery timetable for Nick Chubb has been confirmed by the Houston Texans, and any interpretation of the injury’s severity remains speculative until the team provides verified information. For the most accurate and current updates, rely on official Texans announcements and reputable NFL news sources.
