The Houston Texans are 4-5 following their stunning comeback win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10. They were without C.J. Stroud and also continue to miss the services of starting running back Joe Mixon.
The longtime Cincinnati Bengal has yet to take the field this season as he recovers from a private, non-football-related injury. The five-time 1,000-yard rusher was placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list on August 26, with Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks sharing backfield duties in his absence.
Joe Mixon Injury Update
Mixon performed brilliantly in his opening season with the Texans, posting over 1,300 total yards and 12 total TDs. However, his mysterious summer injury has seen the 29-year-old sidelined all season, with no apparent return in sight.
How Joe Mixon got hurt remains one of the lingering mysteries of the Texans’ season. Fans and reporters have been asking for months, yet no one outside the organization seems to have a clear answer.
Reports indicate the veteran running back suffered a non-football-related ankle injury during the offseason, sidelining him for training camp and the entire preseason.
While Houston has kept the details closely guarded, the team confirmed that the injury was serious enough to place Mixon on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list to start the year, a move that required him to miss at least the first four regular-season games. However, his absence has now extended to nine games, raising increasing concern about when, or even if, he’ll suit up again this season.
On Oct. 27, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was asked to provide an update on Mixon’s injury. Unfortunately, he didn’t have anything to add on the running back’s situation.
“Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said he has no update at this time on status of injured running back Joe Mixon,” wrote Aaron Wilson X.
During Mixon’s unavailability, the Texans’ backfield-by-committee ranks towards the bottom of the NFL in terms of rushing statistics. According to PFSN’s Offense Impact metric, Houston has the 22nd-ranked offense in the league.
PFSN’s RB Impact metric shows Chubb and Marks performing similarly through eight games this season. Among 43 statistically eligible backs, the Texans RBs land 37th (Chubb) and 38th (Marks).
Last season, Joe Mixon was the engine of Houston’s offense, finishing with 1,016 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, along with 309 receiving yards and another score through the air.
In his absence, Houston’s ground game has struggled to find consistency, missing the balance Mixon provides to complement Stroud’s passing attack. The Texans are averaging just 111.2 rushing yards per game, a clear step back from their production a season ago.