Tag: Texans Footbsall

Is Joe Mixon playing Sunday? Latest updates for Texans RB

Joe Mixon will see action on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

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.

C.J. Stroud barely cracks top 10 of PFF’s QB rankings

Is C.J. Stroud a top-five passer in the NFL? One outlet believes he lands in the top 10, but perhaps not top five entering 2024.

C.J. Stroud is the franchise quarterback for the Houston Texans. He’s hopefully the long-term answer at NRG Stadium for the game’s most important position. 

But is Stroud a consensus top-five gunslinger entering 2024? According to one outlet, he just cracked the top 10 after winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. 

Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema ranked Stroud as the No. 10 QB entering minicamp. Now while the Ohio State product fell under the radar, the reasonings bode well in his favor. 

Stroud was the lone quarterback under 25 listed in the top 10. Those positioned ahead of him include four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers (No. 8), Super Bowl champion Matthew Stafford (No. 7) and 2022 breakout star Jalen Hurts (No. 9).

Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowler Dak Prescott might raise some eyebrows at No. 6, but keep in mind that since taking over for Tony Romo, he’s led the NFC East franchise to five postseason appearances. 

Sikkema even mentioned that cracking the top 10 after one season is challenging for a first-year starter, but Stroud’s heroics were too hard to ignore. 

Cracking the top 10 after just one season may seem like a reach for Stroud, but man, his rookie year was impressive. His yards, touchdowns and big-time throw numbers all placed in the top half of the league, and he had some clutch moments and drives that were well beyond his years.

Stroud also logged the third-most completions of 20-plus yards (32) with the lowest turnover-worthy play rate in the league on such passes. That combination of success versus negative plays is unheard of for a rookie. Where Stroud struggled in 2023 was, understandably, knowing what he could and could not get away with in the NFL — and knowing when to take the chances and where to look. That’s all an experience thing. If he takes a step forward from what we saw in 2023, this top-10 ranking might be too low.

Stroud, who became the fifth passer in league history to throw for 4,000 yards in their rookie season, dominated in marquee games. He finished with six 300-yard passing performances, including four consecutive games of 304 yards and at least a touchdown. 

Stroud also led three comeback outings against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts to secure a postseason bid for the first time in four years. 

He was one of 10 passers to throw for 4,000 yards in 2023 and became the first signal-caller to lead the league in both yards per game (274) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (23:5) since Tom Brady. 

Texans fans might disagree with the rankings but also remember that Houston wasn’t poignant on the main stage last season. In 2024, Houston plays six standalone matchups and four primetime games against playoff-caliber opponents. 

Stroud will also have to live up to egregious expectations if he hopes to secure another year in the top 10 rankings. He also has the supporting cast to build off his lofty goals.