Tag: Joe Mixon AFC Player of the Week

Texans RB Joe Mixon ruled out for Vikings game

Joe Mixon will not travel to Minneapolis with the Houston Texans to take on the Minnesota Vikings.

Joe Mixon’s status for Sunday’s game has officially been revealed.

According to the Houston Texans‘ public relations staff, Mixon will not travel to Minnesota with the team on Saturday to face the Vikings in Week 3. Initially, Mixon was ruled doubtful with an ankle injury but instead will stay back to rehabilitate.

Running back J.J. Taylor was from the practice squad to the active roster in place of Mixon. Houston also elevated linebacker and special teams standout Zeke Turner to bolster kick coverage in place of Dameon Pierce, who was also ruled out due to a hamstring issue.

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Traded by the Bengals this offseason to Houston, Mixon is expected to be the bell cow runner when healthy. Over his first two weeks, the 2021 Pro Bowl has rushed for 189 yards on 39 carries and a touchdown in two games while averaging 4.5 yards per attempt.

He won AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors in Week 1 after rushing for 159 yards on 30 carries and a touchdown against the Colts. In Week 2’s win over the Bears, Mixon finished with 50 total yards.

Houston now turns to Cam Akers to serve as the top rushing option in the battle between the two undefeated rosters. Akers, a former second-round pick out of Florida State, took over for Mixon in the fourth quarter. He rushed for 32 yards on seven carries, but also had a fumble.

As one of the top preseason stars, Akers proved to be a valuable asset for Houston’s ground game in August. Injuries have derailed his promising career. In 2021, he suffered an Achilles tear as a member of the Rams.

After being traded to Minnesota last season, he suffered a second Achilles tear in early November.

Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said he remained confident in Akers, given his knowledge of the offensive personnel from his time in Los Angeles and Minnesota.

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“He’s been running — ran zone scheme he came from — he did the same thing in Minnesota,” Slowik said Thursday. “He’s really good at reading that, we call it riding the wave, finding the right hole to hit. He always plays under control. When he sees it, he hits it. He finishes physical. And he has really good contact balance and I’d say those are the things that jump out with Cam.”

Houston is looking to go 3-0 for the first time since 2012. Kickoff at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is scheduled for noon CT.

Texans receive negative update on RB Joe Mixon’s status

Joe Mixon will likely not be suiting up for the Texans come Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Houston Texans were hopeful that running back Joe Mixon would be cleared for Sunday’s road game against the Minnesota Vikings.

As the team departs for Minneapolis, Houston must put its trust in veteran Cam Akers as the new lead back.

Mixon, who suffered an ankle injury due to an illegal hip-drop tackle in Week 2’s win over the Chicago Bears, is listed as doubtful for Week’s matchup against the undefeated Vikings.

He’s currently listed as week-to-week moving into Week 4’s AFC South divisional matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Fellow running back Dameon Pierce (hamstring) was ruled out on Friday’s injury report.

Mixon set the tone in Houston’s 29-27 win over Indianapolis with 159 rushing yards and a touchdown. He won AFC Offensive Player of the Week after averaging 5.3 yards per attempt.

During the third quarter of Sunday’s home opener, Chicago linebacker T.J. Edwards used his body to bring down Mixon. Earlier this offseason, the NFLPA banned the tackling technique because of the higher-than-normal injury rate it causes.

The Texans plan to send the video to the league office for further review after officials ruled it a clean hit. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said after further review, it was clear Edwards turned his body to make the illegal hit.

Akers, a former second-round pick out of Florida State, took over for Mixon in the fourth quarter. He rushed for 32 yards on seven carries, but also had a fumble.

As one of the top preseason stars, Akers proved to be a valuable asset for Houston’s ground game in August. Injuries have derailed his promising career. In 2021, he suffered an Achilles tear as a member of the Rams.

After being traded to Minnesota last season, he suffered a second Achilles tear in early November.

Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said he remained confident in Akers, given his knowledge of the offensive personnel from his time in Los Angeles and Minnesota.

“He’s been running — ran zone scheme he came from — he did the same thing in Minnesota,” Slowik said Thursday. “He’s really good at reading that, we call it riding the wave, finding the right hole to hit. He always plays under control. When he sees it, he hits it. He finishes physical. And he has really good contact balance and I’d say those are the things that jump out with Cam.”

Houston is looking to go 3-0 for the first time since 2012. Kickoff at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is scheduled for noon CT.

Texans RB Joe Mixon named AFC Offensive Player of the Week

Joe Mixon has now made national attention after winning AFC Offensive Player of the Week following a dominant Houston Texans debut.

Joe Mixon’s first game with the Houston Texans was one for the history books.

It also was considered the best outing by any offensive player Sunday afternoon.

Mixon was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, the NFL announced today. This is Mixon’s fourth Player of the Week honor since being drafted out of Oklahoma in 2017 and first with the Texans.

Acquired via trade this offseason from the Cincinnati Bengals, Mixon pulverized through the Colts’ defense en route to totaling 178 scrimmage yards, the highest total in the NFL in Week 1. The 2021 Pro Bowler tied his career-high with 30 rushing attempts in his first contest as a Texan, tallying an NFL-best 159 rushing yards while finding the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown run.

According to NFL Stats and Information, Mixon’s 159 rushing yards marks the sixth-most in NFL history by a player in their debut with a new team. It’s also the sixth-most in franchise history and second-most by a Texan in any Week 1 contest.

Of his 159 rushing yards, 101 of them came after contact, the second-most in the NFL this past week and fourth-most by Mixon in his career. Mixon also rushed for 104 yards in the second half, helping Houston remain on offense for nearly 25 minutes to secure a 29-27 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium.

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Mixon’s 9-yard run on third down iced the game with 1:48 remaining in the fourth quarter. It also marked an NFL-leading ninth rushing first down of the day.

“It was huge,” quarterback C.J. Stroud Stroud said of Mixon’s consistency. “I think that definitely you can impose your will running the ball. You open up a whole multitude of types of plays for Bobby (Slowik) to call, and honestly, we just kept going to it.”

The accolade stands as the 57th time a Texan has been named Player of the Week and the 20th time an offensive player has claimed the honor.

The Texans return to NRG Stadium for their home opener this Sunday against the Chicago Bears. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on NBC as the Sunday Night Football matchup.