In their first game without star receiver Nico Collins, Houston’s offense continued to thrive this weekend, thanks to the return of running backs Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce.
The Texans rushed for 192 yards in a 41-21 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday, improving their record to 5-1, which is their best start since 2012.
Collins missed this game and will be out for at least four more weeks after being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. However, Mixon returned after missing three games due to an ankle injury, and Pierce was back after being sidelined for four games because of a hamstring issue.
Mixon carried the ball 13 times for 102 yards and scored one touchdown, adding 30 yards receiving with another touchdown. Pierce contributed 76 rushing yards and a touchdown, helping Houston secure its third straight win.
“Having Dameon, having Joe back was huge for us, a huge lift for our team,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Very excited to see those guys continue to do more for us, but very pleased with the run game and how they got after it.”
Their strong performances showed how the team came together to cover for the absence of Collins, who is still the NFL’s leading receiver with 567 yards, even though he didn’t play on Sunday.
“Once everybody took on that challenge, I think we started rolling and we didn’t feel bad for ourselves that Nico wasn’t out there,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “We just tried to pick up the slack and really just be there for one another and I feel like we did that.”
In previous weeks, the Texans had struggled to run the ball without their top running backs, averaging just under 78 rushing yards in the three games they missed.
On Sunday, both Mixon and Pierce made significant runs to boost the offense. Mixon had a 59-yard run in the second quarter, while Pierce scored on a 54-yard run in the fourth.
“Those guys bring playmaking ability,” Ryans said. “Not just getting what the run is blocked for. When your backs are special, they get more than what is blocked for and that’s what you saw … with the explosive runs, the two big explosive runs.”
