Houston Texans running back Woody Marks did not have a great start to the game. The rookie dealt with a fair share of injuries during his initial season with the Texans, but against the New England Patriots, he was healthy enough to play. Unfortunately, he suffered another injury in the second quarter.
Woody Marks Injury Update
Marks suffered a shoulder injury against the Patriots and was officially questionable to return. At the time of writing, the Texans were down 17-14 and needed their running back to bounce back in the second half.
Marks had 112 yards in 19 carries, along with a touchdown, against the Steelers on Monday. New England had strong defensive success against the run, which was a bit of a surprise. The Patriots allowed 4.2 yards per carry during the season.
Marks was able to return to the game and finished the first half with nine carries for just three yards. The ground game was a concern due to its lack of effectiveness, but not as much as the passing game. Stroud threw 4 interceptions in the first 30 minutes alone, resulting in a 21-10 disadvantage as both teams headed to halftime.
Marks did end up going to the blue tent midway through the second half, which prompted jokes from some of the fans watching the game at that point:
Has Woody Marks left every game this season with an injury at some point?
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) January 18, 2026
Marks was a breath of fresh air for the Texans’ backfield. He joined the team as a fourth-round pick, with Houston expecting him to play as the backup for Joe Mixon. However, the veteran’s foot injury meant that he did not feature in 2025, and Marks was tasked with the No. 1 role. He did not disappoint.
In the regular season, he had 703 yards in 196 carries, along with two touchdowns. Nick Chubb started the year with the No. 1 role, but Marks was declared the starter in the second half of the season. According to PFSN’s RB Impact Metric, he is ranked as the 44th-best running back in the league with an impact score of 51.0.
His lack of production against the Patriots was a problem, but not as big as what was happening with Stroud. The Patriots were one of the most efficient teams of the season, and Drake Maye made impressive plays. A strong running game would help, but not as much as avoiding multiple turnovers.
Stroud also completed just 10 out of 26 pass attempts in the first half against New England. The start of the game was just awful for Houston.
