Will Joe Mixon play for the Texans against the Vikings on Sunday?

At 2-0, the Texans are in a good place, but the possibility that they may be without their starting running back when they face the Vikings this weekend is a problem. Worse yet is that the roster is paper thin when at the position.

Joe Mixon is doubtful ahead of Week 3′s clash with Vikings

According to the Houston Texans’ injury report for Week 3, running back Joe Mixon has been listed as doubtful ahead of the team’s Week meeting with the Minnesota Vikings. It should be said that the news is not entirely surprising with Mixon having already missed a few days of practice.

Regarding details, Mixon sustained the injury during Week 2′s 19–13 win over the Chicago Bears and in unsavory circumstances. Considered to be a ‘hip-drop tackle’ by linebacker T.J. Ewards, Mixon went down with visible discomfort. To be clear, the controversial tackle which the NFL states “...occurs when a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto ball carrier’s legs during the tackle,” was banned by the league during the offseason.

Indeed, that’s why it raises an eyebrow when considering the idea that officials did not call a penalty, nor did the NFL itself sanction Edwards in any way. Do keep in mind that regardless of any debate about the tackle, Mixon left the game, later taking to social media where he posted a frank critique of the league, posting “...Time to put your money where your mouth is.” This is not to say the league has not been applying the rules as we have in fact seen players fined for hip-drop tackles across the first two weeks of the season, New York Giants cornerback Adoree’ Jackson and linebacker Darius Muasau.

Interestingly, neither of those players was penalized during the game itself - a Week 1 matchup with the Vikings. As for Mixon, the 28-year-old notched nine carries for 25 yards as well as another 25 on three carries during the team’s Week 2 win. That decent start followed on from an impressive performance in the Texans’ season opening win when he rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries while adding a further 19 yards on three catches. Ultimately, should Mixon be unable to play on Sunday, which is looking more likely, it will be a blow and one that is made more painful by the fact that the team lacks cover at the position. At the moment, backup Dameon Pierce is listed as out with a hamstring issue, leaving only Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale as the remaining backs on the team’s roster.