The Houston Texans were without their star running back, Joe Mixon, for Wednesday’s practice.
Mixon has been dealing with an ankle injury that has kept him out since Week 2 against the Chicago Bears. He has only managed to practice one time (limited) since then (the Friday of Week 4).
Mixon remained off the field as the team was preparing to face the New England Patriots this Sunday. If Mixon continues to be ruled out, this will be the fourth consecutive game he will miss.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans admitted Monday that he isn’t sure if the running back will return for Sunday’s game.
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“We don’t know as of right now,” Ryans said. “I can’t give you that answer, but we will see how Joe improves over the week. He has definitely been improving week to week, he’s been doing a great job attacking his rehab so we will see where he is as the week goes on.”
Ryans didn’t stop there. He also expressed his frustration with the hip-drop tackle, which is why Mixon has missed an extended period of time.
“Joe is out because of that,” Ryans said. “The NFL is doing a great job of communicating for an entire league of how we want to tackle, how we should tackle. We’re trying to get that out of the game. I think some guys have been fined for making those illegal tackles. But the fine doesn’t get your guy back soon enough.”
The Texans have not been effective on the ground due to Mixon’s absence. Although Dare Ogunbowale and Cam Akers have done their job to carry the load, the run game is not the same without Mixon.
Mixon hasn’t missed any significant time since the 2020 season when he suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot in Week 6. He ended up missing the rest of the regular season in 2020 and also missed two games in 2022 due to a concussion.
Mixon isn’t the only one the Texans are worried about on the injury report. The Texans will also be without their star wide receiver, Nico Collins. Collins suffered a hamstring injury and was placed on the injured reserve on Wednesday.
He sustained the injury at the end of the first quarter of their Week 5 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Collins is the NFL’s leading receiver with 567 yards thus far. He was on his way to a career year, but that will be hampered due to the injury.
The Texans are a hobbled bunch right now, but they appear to have the pieces to carry the load in the meantime.
