Brian Cushing injury: Texans LB tears ACL, ending season

Brian Cushing injury: Surgery a success for Texans LB

The Texans' linebacker tore his ACL after a hit from Jets guard Matt Slauson in Week 5.

Brian Cushing injury: Jets OL Matt Slauson fined $10K for hit

Jets offensive lineman Matt Slauson has been fined $10,000 by the NFL for a hit on Texans linebacker Brian Cushing in the Monday night matchup between the two teams, according to Jay Glazer . The hit ended Cushing's season, as he suffered a torn left ACL on the play.

Slauson was not penalized on the play, in which he cut-block Cushing. The linebacker couldn't see Slauson coming as he went low, cutting down Cushing at the knees. Cushing was several yards away from the ball-carrier when the block was made.

The league has been moving towards guarding against players being taken out low when in a defenseless position, especially in the case of quarterbacks. Cut blocks are penalized on the field when a player is engaged with another blocker, but that was not the case on the play involving Slauson and Cushing.

Rex Ryan, Slauson's head coach, stuck by his lineman's block and believed the hit to be clean. The NFL obviously disagreed.

Brian Cushing injury: Jets' Rex Ryan says block wasn't dirty

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan is sticking by Matt Slauson after a block in Monday night's game ended Brian Cushing's season

Texans confirm: Brian Cushing's ACL injury will end his season

Brian Cushing injury: Texans LB reportedly tears ACL, out for season

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:

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.

Brian Cushing injury: Texans concerned about possible ACL tear

An MRI later on Tuesday will reveal the extent of the knee injury suffered by the Texans linebacker.

Brian Cushing injury: Texans LB hurts leg, ruled out

Brian Cushing headed to the locker room in the second quarter of the Houston's game against the New York Jets. He went down with a leg injury after a low block by Matt Slauson.