Ryan Mallett's run as Houston's starting quarterback is on hold.
The Texans passer might have suffered a torn right pectoral muscle before Sunday's 22-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals during warmups, which would end his season, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport was told by a source informed of the injury.
Set for an MRI on Monday, Mallett aggravated the injury during pregame warmups after showing up on this week's injury report with a strained chest injury. Rapoport was told that Mallett decided to play through the pain after waiting four years for a shot to start.
Losing Mallett would elevate benched signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick back into the top spot for next Sunday's AFC South duel with the Tennessee Titans and beyond.
After his promising debut against the Browns in Week 11, Mallet crashed hard against the Bengals with a 21-of-45 passing performance for just 189 yards and a pick. The Texans wanted to give Tom Brady's former backup a long look before his contract runs out after the season, but they're likely back where they started under center.
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