The Houston Texans, with an 85.5% chance of making it to the playoffs according to PFSN’s NFL Playoff Predictor, have surged toward a third straight AFC South title without last season’s leading rusher. Joe Mixon has remained on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list since July due to a foot injury sustained away from the team, and there has been no activation or practice window opened for Week 15.
Team leadership has described his situation as “gray,” and league reporting indicates he’s not expected to play in 2025, though Mixon publicly pushed back without further clarification.
Joe Mixon Injury Update
Mixon missed OTAs and minicamp in May, initially believed to be due to an ankle issue, but was then placed on the NFI list at the start of camp with a foot injury suffered away from the team. The Texans kept him on NFI into the regular season. They did not activate him when he became eligible in October.
General manager Nick Caserio has repeatedly described the situation as ambiguous, noting periods of progress and stalls, while declining to set specific expectations. On Nov. 20, NFL Network reported Mixon is “not expected” to play this season; Mixon quote-posted the report and refuted it, but neither he nor the team has provided further updates, and he has remained on NFI through Week 15.
Caserio’s latest public comments underscored the uncertainty, stating that progress stalled, adding “it’s a very gray, a lot of ambiguity, there’s not a lot of clarity,” and that Mixon is “out until he’s not.”
Head coach DeMeco Ryans had no update when asked about Mixon in late October. The last time Mixon played was in the 2024 postseason, when he posted 106 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Chargers and 88 yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs, after leading Houston with 1,016 rushing yards in 2024.
When Will Joe Mixon Return? Possible Return Date and Timeline
There is no announced timetable or practice window. The NFI designation has remained since July 23, and Houston did not move Mixon off the list when he first became eligible in early October. Caserio’s “three or four weeks” checkpoints did not yield clarity, and the Nov. 20 league report that Mixon is “not expected” to play this season remains the most substantive guidance.
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With no transaction to initiate a return-to-play process, no practice designation, and no roster activation, a Week 15 appearance would be unexpected. Any change would require Houston to move him off NFI, list practice participation, and complete an elevation before game day.
In Mixon’s absence, the Texans’ backfield has adjusted. Nick Chubb opened the year as a starter; rookie Woody Marks has taken a larger share as the season progressed, with Dare Ogunbowale providing depth and practice-squad options available. According to PFSN’s RB Impact metric, Marks is the 42nd-ranked running back in the league, while Chubb is ranked 48th.
Despite the run game ranking in the bottom third under first-year OC Nick Caley, Houston has won five of six behind a defense that ranks first in yards and points allowed entering Week 14. Unless the team initiates a late-season return process, Mixon’s 2025 status remains unchanged, NFI with no imminent activation as Week 15 approaches.
Houston Texans’ Stats and Insights for Week 15
Team: The Houston Texans have a +68 point differential in the fourth quarter, which is best in the NFL. If you remove the 26-0 fourth quarter Houston had against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10, Houston would still be second in point differential in the fourth quarter.
QB: C.J. Stroud has ten touchdown passes and three interceptions in the last seven games; the Texans are 5-2 in that stretch. Stroud started the season with two touchdown passes and three interceptions in the first three games of the season. The TD/INT ratio over the last seven games is more in line with his rookie season, when he had 23 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Offense:Â The Texans started 0-3 and committed five turnovers. In the last 10 games, Houston has won 8 and has committed five turnovers.
Defense: The Texans are the only team with two players with 10 sacks or more: Danielle Hunter (11) and Will Anderson (10.5)
Fantasy: Woody Marks established himself as the lead man in this backfield prior to Nick Chubb getting dinged up, but this offensive line is prohibitive, and without a 20-yard rush in a month, the ceiling is low despite the plus-volume.
