The Houston Texans are at a crossroads entering Week 18 of the regular season.
Starters are expected to play against the Tennessee Titans, but the question is for how long? Texans coach DeMeco Ryans initially didn’t plan on playing starters, but after an abysmal outing against the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas Day, plans changed.
“For us right now, we’ve got to go play better,” Ryans said. “Our last outing on the field was not good enough. It was not representative of who we are. Defensively, offensively, just not a good representation of our team entirely. So we’ve got to go out and play better football.”
Among those who could miss the second half is running back Joe Mixon. Houston’s lead runner is on the verge of making history after securing his place in the Pro Bowl, but the Texans are looking to win.
Mixon also wants to end the season on a high note after failing to find the end zone against Baltimore on Christmas Day.
“You’ve got 14 teams left and from there, it’s time to put your best stuff on tape,” Mixon said Thursday. “I think that we have a great opportunity in front of us to go out there against Tennessee to try and do whatever we can to go into the playoffs with a great taste.”
Joe Mixon update
Mixon will play on Sunday at Nissan Stadium. Should the Texans pull out to a significant lead, Ryans could elect to rest him for next week’s wild-card round.
After signing a three-year extension following the trade from Cincinnati, Mixon has been the backbone of the offense. He’s only seven yards shy of becoming the first running back since Carlos Hyde to rush for 1,000 yards in a Texans uniform.
“I thought that we had a hell of a week of practice,” Mixon said. “The way that we responded from last week, I think everybody is just (going up) right now. Everything was timing up in practice with (quarterback) C.J. (Stroud), receivers, linemen and everybody being in sync.”
Joe Mixon stats
In 13 starts, Mixon has rushed 993 yards on 240 carries for 11 touchdowns. He’s averaging 4.1 yards per attempt.
Texans RB depth chart
Dameon Pierce would start or replace Mixon should the Texans bench their starters on Sunday. In 12 games, Pierce has rushed for 117 yards on 21 carries.
Dare Ogunbowale, who’s been the third-down pass-catching back, should see extensive reps, too.