The Houston Texans once again may enter a game this season without the services of starting running back Joe Mixon. Mixon didn’t practice again on Thursday as he has been dealing with an ankle injury.
He suffered the injury in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears and has missed both of the Texans’ games since. Head coach DeMeco Ryans has said that Mixon is “day-to-day” but not practicing on Thursday typically is a bad sign for his availability come Sunday.
No sign of #Texans RB Joe Mixon at practice yet, which isn’t usually a great sign toward availability for Sunday.
DeMeco Ryans has maintained Mixon is ‘day-to-day.’
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) October 3, 2024
Houston will be hosting the Buffalo Bills in a heavyweight AFC matchup early in the season. Both teams enter this game with a record of 3-1 and they will be looking to make a big statement.
Buffalo was thoroughly manhandled by the Baltimore Ravens last week so they will be trying to get back on track. Houston took down the Jacksonville Jaguars to pick up a divisional win early in the year.
If Mixon can’t go once again, Houston would likely be relying on Cam Akers. Backup Dameon Pierce also didn’t practice on Thursday, leaving Akers as the presumed starter once again.
Akers carried the ball 13 times against Jacksonville, rushing for 53 yards in the win. He would need to heavily step up his game for the Texans if he is named the starting running back again this week.
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
Mixon provided some real life to the Houston offense in Week 1 of the season against the Indianapolis Colts. He rushed for 159 yards and one score in helping the Texans start their season with a win.
Before his injury in Week 2, Mixon rushed for 25 yards on nine carries. He was brought to the team this offseason to provide them with a dynamic runner that could mesh well with the prolific passing attack that Houston has.
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The Texans believe that they can become an elite team in the AFC, so playing in games against teams like Buffalo can go a long way. If Houston is able to defend home field and come away with a win, it could help set them up well down the line.
This is a potential playoff preview and has seeding implications within it. Both teams will try to stay at the top but the absence of Mixon could loom large over the Texans in this contest.
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