The Houston Texans are a tough team to judge going into the Divisional Round. Before the year began, they were a dark horse Super Bowl pick with the monstrous rookie season from C. J. Stroud. However, Stroud hasn’t been nearly as impressive but thanks to an amazing defense, they have come so far already.
One bright spot for the team on offense has been Joe Mixon. However, an ankle injury has put his status for the Divisional Round in jeopardy.
What Is Joe Mixon’s Injury?
The running back has been having an electric year for the Texans. During the Wild Card Round against the Los Angeles Chargers, Mixon was outstanding. He finished the game with 106 yards and a touchdown, against the best-scoring defense in the NFL this season.
However, somewhere in that performance, it looks like Mixon reaggravated an ankle injury that has bothered him all season. Earlier in the year, it even caused him to miss three games, with Houston boasting a 2-1 record in that timeframe.
Without him, the load for carrying the ground game fell on the shoulders of Dameon Pearce and Dare Ogunbowale.
Will Mixon Play Against the Chiefs?
Going up against the two-time defending Champions in the Divisional Round is going to be a tough task as it is. But, Mixon’s status continues to be in jeopardy for the game. After a limited practice session on Wednesday, he missed out entirely on Thursday’s practice.
But, with each passing day, the situation turns grimmer for fans in Houston. So far, his status for Saturday is still questionable. It could be a case of the Texans exercising caution for their star running back. But his injury and availability will be something worth monitoring as Houston gears up for Kansas City.
Mixon’s Impact on the Texans
Finishing 15th in the league in total rushing yards, Mixon ran for 1,016 yards, while adding 11 touchdowns as well. With Stroud having a down year, he finished 27th on PFN’s QB+ metric, the offense has been carried at times by the run game.
On his end, Mixon has been sensational, finishing with his highest average yards per carry since 2018 and the second-highest rushing touchdown total of his career. But, as a whole, the offense continues to suffer, ranking 28th in the league, according to PFN’s Offense+ metric.
“He wants the football,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said following the win against the Chargers. “You want to play well in the playoffs you have to be able to run the football. So Joe did a great job there today and he doesn’t do that without the way our guys block, tight ends, receivers, also the offensive line. Like collective effort there which allowed us to run the wall the way we did.”
It wasn’t what Houston had in mind this offseason. The former Cincinnati Bengal was part of a bunch of moves from the Texans to shore up their offense and make it even more explosive. Names like Mixon and Stefon Diggs were brought on. However, the Year One juice hasn’t been worth the squeeze.
If they plan to survive against a Kansas City team that is mostly whole again and has Patrick Mahomes quarterbacking the show in the playoffs, Mixon’s availability is going to be invaluable for them.
