Joe Mixon was active for the Texans’ divisional playoff game against the Chiefs on Saturday, despite dealing with an ankle injury that had placed him on the injury report and caused him to miss practice later in the week.
In addition to Mixon, several other Texans players were active, including linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), right guard Shaq Mason (knee), offensive lineman Juice Scruggs (ankle), and wide receiver Robert Woods (hip). Woods had not practiced all week and had been listed as questionable for the game.
Mixon, 28, initially injured his ankle in Week 2 against the Bears, which caused him to miss three weeks. However, he has played in every game since then. In Week 15 against Miami, his ankle rolled over again, which affected him for the remainder of the game.
Mixon was crucial in the Texans’ 32-12 wild-card win over the Chargers last week, rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown. His performance helped the team advance within one game of reaching the AFC championship for the first time in franchise history. It was also the first time a Texans running back had rushed for over 100 yards in a postseason game since Arian Foster did it in 2012.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans praised Mixon’s leadership and consistency, saying, “Joe provides confidence. He brings it every week. The way he goes about his business, what he has to say to the guys all throughout the week — he provides confidence.”
Mixon also offers versatility to a Houston offense that has been impacted by injuries to wide receivers Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs, who both suffered season-ending injuries. This season, Mixon had 36 catches for 309 yards and one touchdown. His experience in helping protect quarterback C.J. Stroud in the passing game has been a key factor in Houston’s back-to-back playoff wins.
Stroud spoke highly of Mixon’s contributions, saying, “He has been helpful to all of us, making our alignment right. It’s nice to have that and not have a whole bunch on my plate all the time. Even when our run game isn’t working, I know he leans on me, so it’s just playing off one another, playing complementary football. But it is very helpful to have someone like Joe.”
For the game against the Chiefs, the Texans made several players inactive, including running back J.J. Taylor, linebacker Devin White, defensive end Jerry Hughes, defensive tackle Kurt Hinish, and offensive linemen Kendrick Green and Nick Broeker.
The Chiefs had cornerback Jaylen Watson available for the first time since breaking his ankle on October 20 in a game against San Francisco. Watson was activated from injured reserve on Friday after completing a full week of practice without setbacks.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid praised Watson for his hard work, stating, “He’s worked tremendously hard to get himself to this point, first of all, and we’ll just see how that goes as far as the game reps and all that. He sure has worked hard to get himself even to this point right here.”
The Chiefs made several players inactive for the game, including safety Deon Bush, cornerback Keith Taylor, defensive ends Joshua Uche and Malik Herring, and offensive linemen C.J. Hanson, Wanya Morris, and Ethan Driskell. Morris, who had started 11 games at left tackle for the Chiefs this season, struggled to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
As a result, the Chiefs moved All-Pro guard Joe Thuney to tackle and had Mike Caliendo replace him at guard. D.J. Humphries became the backup tackle for the game against Houston.
