How bruising runner Joe Mixon put Texans offense on his back that’s ‘just scratching the surface’ of what it can become

HOUSTON – Joe Mixon and his downhill running style left the Indianapolis Colts’ traditionally stout defense bruised and demoralized as they had no answers for how the Texans’ running game beat them to the punch at every angle.

Mixon injected both a smash-mouth element to the Texans’ offense and doubles as a speedy breakaway threat who nearly got loose for several long runs. Ultimately, what Mixon’s 159-yard, one-touchdown rushing performance on 30 carries means for the Texans’ offense is simple.

Mixon’s punishing presence keeps opposing defenses honest. They have to load the tackle box to try to contain Mixon. At the same time, that opens up play-action fakes the defense has to respect and makes the offense flow even more behind Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud and a receiving corps headlined by Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell.

The sense around the Texans is they’re just getting started and what they did in a 29-27 road victory at Lucas Oil Stadium was just the appetizer for a potentially even more explosive offense with a lot of choices for offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to dial up.

“Just having a feeling basically with the linemen, ‘Put us on your back, let’s get this thing rolling,’” said Mixon, who was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week and the Fed-Ex Ground NFL Player of the Week after averaging over five yards per carry. “We’ve got a lot of room to grow as an offense. What we did on Sunday that was like scratching the surface, and I think we’ve got a lot to build on each and every week. We’re going to get better and do whatever we can to be successful. As long as we’re taking care of the ball, I think we’re going to be very, very dangerous. I think it was a good coming0out party us as an offense. I think we’ve got a lot to build on.”

A former Pro Bowl running back acquired in an offseason trade from the Cincinnati Bengals who has scored 29 touchdowns combined over the past three seasons, Mixon ran like a man with something to prove in his debut with the Texans. His downhill style fits this offense perfectly.

Mixon imposed his will as he complemented the passing game.

“He’s hungry, he wants it,” Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil told KPRC 2. “He was talking about it all week, like he’s going to get 150 yards, 100-plus yards and then showed up and did it. He’s hungry, he’s determined. For sure, encouraged.”

Mixon nearly broke several long runs, needing to beat one more defender for a touchdown. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry with a long run of 13 yards. Even though the Colts had to have known Mixon was going to keep coming at them, they had no ability to stop him or really slow him down as offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik kept dialing up his patented zone scheme runs.

“I think Joe brings confidence,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said “He brings confidence, he brings a energy, a swagger to our offense. The way he works at practice each and every day, guys feel that swagger. They feel that confidence the energy that he brings and that means a lot when you’re handing the ball to a guy who is as confident as ever. It means a lot to the offensive line, it gives them confidence to block a little, longer finish a little stronger and that’s just everybody around him feels the energy that he provides.”

This marked the third-highest rushing total of Mixon’s career.

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And the Texans appear to be just getting warmed up after piling up 26 first downs, 417 yards of total offense, three touchdowns, including two by Diggs on short Stroud passes in the red zone, and building a dominant 40-minute to 20-minute time of possession advantage.

What’s it like to tackle the 6-foot-1, 229-pound Mixon? Obviously, it’s a struggle to match his power and speed.

“I think people start to get out of the way,” Ryans said. “They don’t want to tackle, I wouldn’t want to tackle Joe that many times. You see just the physicality that he brings, and he presents and you team that up with how our tight ends were blocking physical on the edges, our receivers blocking physical on the edge, we want to be a physical football team, but you got to go show it each and every week.”

Having a strong running game in their repertoire boosts the Texans’ offense from good to potentially a great one.

“The run game really kind of sets the table,” Slowik said. “It allows us play pass, keepers and then gets guys thinking about it when we go dropback. You get a lot of loaded boxes when they start to get worried about it. And you can put them in a bind if they want to keep playing shell and split-safety stuff. So, it just helps empower us to do whatever we feel we need to do to win the game. In particular, I think what was really underrated about running the ball is you gain a power position with controlling the clock.

“I felt like we had multiple drives we were on the field for what felt like five-plus minutes. And for an offense, it’s really gratifying because you want to be on the field, that’s when it’s fun. And for the defense, obviously, when they’re on the sideline, that gives them a little juice, that gives them a little energy, especially when they see the O-line blocking the way they were, the tight ends blocking the way they were and Joe running it how he was.”

A year ago, the Texans finished 22nd in rushing offense and 29th in average per carry as former Pro Bowl alternate Dameon Pierce was replaced by Devin ‘Motor’ Singletary.

The Texans tried to retain Singletary, but were also looking at other backs.

he Texans were in the middle of the running back derby, wheeling and dealing and negotiated or held conversations about contract parameters with several of the top free agents.

The Texans were in need of a proven running back after being outbid by the Philadelphia Eagles for running back Saquon Barkley, who entered free agency with Houston as his top choice. They bid three-years and a bit north of $33 million on Barkley, but he signed for significantly more money with the Philadelphia Eagles. He signed a three-year, $46.75 million maximum value deal with the Eagles with a base value of $37.75 million and $26 million fully guaranteed.

Then, the Texans lost Singletary in free agency to the New York Giants, Barkley’s former team, as they made him an offer averaging $4 million. He got a three-year, $19.5 million deal from the Giants.

The Texans talked with DeAndre Swift, who signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the Chicago Bears, Sunday night’s opponent, and Tony Pollard, who got a similar deal from the Tennessee Titans.

Ultimately, the Texans pivoted to Mixon who had four 1,000 yard seasons in seven years for the Cincinnati Bengals. They traded a seventh-round draft pick in exchange for Mixon. Then, they promptly signed him to a three-year, $27 million contract that included $13 million guaranteed with a $6 million signing bonus.

How the Texans acquired Mixon reminded Texans general manager Nick Caserio of when the New England Patriots, his former employer, acquired veteran defensive back Jason McCourty in 2018 via a trade. Like Mixon, McCourty was poised to be released. So, Caserio and Patriots coach Bill Belichick huddled up and added McCourty and paired him in the secondary with his twin brother, Devin McCourty in advance of winning Super Bowl LII, in a 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. During that game, Jason McCourty had a key pass breakup on a pass intended for wide receiver Brandin Cooks to prevent a touchdown.

“Yeah, the Joe situation is kind of interesting,” Caserio said. “Any time a player gets released, he’s available. So, say this situation was similar to kind of what we went through it with Jason McCourty however many years back when I was in New England. Jason was released and he was going to be on the waiver wire. We kind of intercepted that release. Bill and I talked about the situation: ‘Hey, this is a player we’re interested in.’ ‘All right, we’re willing to give up the compensation that was associated with it. We were able to gain Jason’s services and Jason ended up being a huge contributor on a Super Bowl winning team.

“Different, but similar in some respects with Joe. Joe was set to be released. He was a player that we evaluated, and we thought could help our team in some capacity. So, to the earlier question, you get on the phone, talk to the team. ‘Hey, we’d be interested. Would you guys be willing to give up a pick, or if we gave up a pick would you be interested?’ That’s kind of how the trade was consummated.”

Mixon was traded to the Texans in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round draft pick. Initially, the Bengals were planning to release him after reaching a two-year, $8 million contract with running back Zack Moss. Then, a reverse play ensued as the Bengals opted to trade him.

The Texans feel good about paying Mixon on a deal that includes a $6 million signing bonus with salaries of $3 million and $7 million guaranteed in the first two seasons and a nonguaranteed $8 million in the third season of the contract.

Mixon had five seasons with at least 1,200 yards from scrimmage for the Bengals after being drafted in the second round out of Oklahoma.

“The running back market was very, very fluid this year. a lot of guys and it feels like everybody just switched teams,” Ryans said during the NFL owners meetings. “All those guys are really good players, top players. You see the narrative of the running backs before of them not being able to get the contract they deserve. Now, to see that narrative flip in one period, it was pretty cool to see.

“Hate losing Motor. Motor was great for us, not only the play, but in the locker room. He was an outstanding leader for us. I really hate losing Motor. Happy to get Joe and what he brings to us. There was a lot of movement with Saquon with De’Andre Swift. We’re happy to get Joe. Hate to lose Motor, but I feel like Joe will help us out a lot.”

And Mixon’s addition is already paying dividends for the creativity and production of a loaded offense.

There’s more to come going forward for an offense that yielded four sacks against the Colts.

“There were some technique and fundamental things we definitely could clean up,” Slowik said. “I know Joe had some one-on-one opps in the hole that he would like back. And just little things like even how we have a track on a certain play, or what our angle is on a combination up to the second level. We were off and we still got some good plays out of it. But, if we were on it, to us, we see explosives. So, we felt like we missed a few of those. And then in the pass game, the pass game was a little bit of everything. Protection was some physical and a lot of mental that we had to be on top of. And really it was the same route-wise, all the way across the board. It was a lot more inconsistent than the run game was.”

Mixon looked like a bargain against the Colts.

“It’s a game-changer,” Diggs said. “With that wide receiver game that we got is special. With that guy in the backfield, it’s special as well. He can crease at any time. He breaks tackles. In my opinion, he got a lot more in the tank. He missed a little bit of camp.

“So, I think he’s getting his legs back, but he’s on board, and I think we’re going to see a heavy dose of Joe Mixon. You crawl up, you know what you are going to get. I’m saying you play too high, you play shell coverage, we’re going to do a little bit of blocking, and he’s going to make plays.”

Mixon looked fresh throughout the game. He busted into the end zone on a first-and-goal from the 3-yard line in the third quarter.

As Stroud completed 24 of 32 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns, Mixon provided the power. And he promises there’s more to come.

“Oh yeah, man, I definitely do,” Mixon said. “I’m just finally, really getting tapped into the player that I know I am for real. The guys are encouraging and doing everything to make sure this thing is still up and going. I’m just glad that I’m probably one of the forefront people to really set the tone and let people know what it is playing us.

“You’ve got guys like Nico out there making huge plays. C.J. being C.J. Stef coming in and making crazy plays, even Tank (Dell.) Everybody just complemented each other. The run complemented the pass, and the pass complemented the run. We’ve got a hell of a thing that we got going. We just got to keep getting better each and every week.”

From Mixon’s standpoint, there’s a lot more ahead of the Texans. He loves running behind this line. He was an inspired man Sunday.

“I think it was a good coming-out party for the offense,” Mixon said. “I think we’ve got a lot to build on. It’s not about one person. It’s a bunch of unselfish guys around here and big playmakers. Me and Stef talk about it all the time, we’ve got reservations, we late. We were trying to go get it. We got to go get it, man. We’re winning and I just look forward to the challenge and we’re looking forward to being the best offense that we can be.

“I’ve always been the person to lead by example, as a leader, on and off the field and for my teammates to follow me and be successful. At the end of the day, I’m here to be the best teammate possible and be the best player possible and uplift my teammates when they need it. I’m here to cheer them on and be their biggest cheerleader.”

The Texans rushed for 213 yards against the Colts, including Mixon’s output as he finished with 178 total yards from scrimmage. After one game, they have the top-ranked rushing offense in the NFL.

“I am confident that we can run the football. Just when you do it and you put it on tape and you see that you’re successful I think guys see the success, they know what it looked like, they know the work that they put in to earn that success,” Ryans said. “It’s not going to come easy every week. Teams will start to find a way to game plan scheme, to try to stop the run and how do we get to something different.

“But, to know that in the back of your mind, that we can run the football you just still have to go out and earn it. You have to put it on tape each and every week, but I think, first off, you got to know you can do it and our guys know it. We just got to go show it again this week.”

Handing the football off to Mixon so many times against the Colts evoked memories for Stroud of when Mixon was playing for the Bengals. Now, he’s reaping the rewards of having Mixon share the huddle with him

“When we played them last year, we knew that one of our keys of victory against Cincinnati was like stop No. 28 and I definitely do think I see why we had that game plan,” Stroud said. “Just because, not only is he a great back and he runs hard, but he makes our line right a lot and runs off their blocks, sets blocks up.

“We just had a conversation when he knew that he was coming here that we were just excited to work with one another being two Cali dudes. And, honestly, we just knew that we were trying to go win a lot and that’s something that he was used to was winning in Cincinnati. So, he brought that winning fashion and he knows what it takes to get all the way to the big one.”

Are the Texans capable of even more as an offense? No question about it, Stroud believes.

“Most definitely,” he said. “I think watching the film from last week, there’s definitely a lot of plays left on the field. We can clean up a lot of things. So, yeah, I definitely think that we barely showed what we’ve got. But it’s kind of cool because we still did kind of play pretty good once we stopped shooting ourselves in the foot. The plays that we ran good looked great. But the ones that we just barely missed on, it was just the little, little, small things. If we clean those up, man, I think we would’ve had a way better day but definitely great to learn in a win.”

And Mixon, a powerful, fast runner, is built to last. He’s durable, tough and athletic with outstanding vision and instincts.

“Physically, I’d say he’s probably one of the few guys remaining in the NFL that could handle that,” Slowik said of his workload. “I mean, there’s not many offenses you’re going to run the ball to the same guy 30 times over and over, and over and over again every week. But I’m not really worried about his workload in that regard. He’s just built and has in his past, done that before and is built to do that.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.co