Why isn’t Joe Mixon playing for the Texans against the Rams in Week 1?
Having missed the entire offseason program, Mixon remains unavailable as the Houston Texans begin their 2025 NFL season.
Star running back Joe Mixon will be unavailable to the Houston Texans until Week 5 at the earliest, as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury suffered during the offseason.
Chasing a third consecutive postseason spot, the Texans kick off their 2025 NFL season with a visit to the Los Angeles Rams this weekend.
Uncertainty over Mixon injury
Signed from the Cincinnati Bengals in March 2024, Mixon earned Pro Bowl honors last season, rushing for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns as the Texans reached the Divisional round.
However, the 29-year-old missed the entirety of Houston’s preseason preparations with an injury said to have been sustained while working out during the offseason.
On August 26, the Texans placed Mixon on the reserve/non-football injury list, which automatically rules him out of the team’s first four games of the 2025 season.
The earliest the Oklahoma graduate could return to action would be in Houston’s clash with the Baltimore Ravens on October 5.
An update on RB Joe Mixon. pic.twitter.com/nUSc8DSNl5
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 25, 2025
“We’ll see” - Texans GM on Mixon
There are even suggestions that Mixon could miss the whole of the season. “We’ll see - we’ll take it one day at a time,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said last week, per ESPN.
“We’ll evaluate those players [who are unavailable for at least four games] after four weeks and see where they are in their progression and then make a determination.”
Chubb primed as RB1
In Mixon’s absence, recent recruit Nick Chubb is expected to be the Texans’ first-choice running back.
Chubb, who spent the first seven years of his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns, signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with Houston in June.
Texans vs Rams: when, where, how to watch
The Houston Texans take on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, September 7, with kick-off at SoFi Stadium scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET/1:25 p.m. PT.
Viewers in the U.S. can watch the Week 1 game live on CBS and Paramount+. You can stream CBS’s coverage on fubo, which offers new users a free, introductory trial.
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