Bruising, explosive running game led by Joe Mixon lifts Texans to blowout win: ‘I know the player that I am’

FOXBOROUGH. Mass. – From the vantage point of quarterback C.J. Stroud in the Texans’ backfield, he had the perfect view of how running back Joe Mixon ran roughshod over the New England Patriots’ usually stout defense.

Again and again, Mixon accelerated into space and ran through and around pursuit as he delivered a series of bruising and explosive runs that showcased his versatility, power and speed Sunday afternoon.

Whether it was Mixon plowing through contact to break tackles or accelerating outside behind blocks from Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and left guard Kenyon Green for a 59-yard run or how he dashed out of the backfield for a touchdown catch, there was no stopping Mixon in his first game back from a high-ankle sprain that sidelined him for three games after getting injured on Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards’ illegal hip drop tackle.

In the Texans’ first game playing without star wide receiver Nico Collins after he was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, Mixon provided a boost and balance as he rushed for 102 yards and one touchdown and caught another score as he piled up 132 total yards from scrimmage in a 41-21 road victory at Gillette Stadium. And the Texans’ running game, which had languished since the season-opener when Mixon rushed for 159 yards in a win over the Indianapolis Colts, was a huge factor as the Texans rushed for 192 yards as backup Dameon Pierce gained 76 yards and scored on a 54-yard touchdown run.

“He’s got great vision, hits it as hard as he can, just a great feel for the game, a great feel to set his blocks up,” Stroud said. “When our O-line is blocking the way they did and he’s setting up blocks, it’s a recipe for success.”

Playing his 100th career game, Mixon had his fourth career game with 100 rushing yards, a touchdown run and a touchdown catch to post that statistical line, Mixon averaged 7.8 yards per carry on 13 runs. He had the second-longest run of his career and the sixth-longest run by any player in the NFL this season.

Mixon took out his frustrations he expressed this week about being sidelined by an illegal tackle the NFL had outlawed and the lack of heavy enforcement of the play, running with a purpose.

“I felt a big weight off my shoulders,” Mixon said. “Missing time and going out there with my brothers, going out there competing and obviously trying to do whatever we can to come out with the dub. It’s a hell of a feeling. I know the player that I am and I’m just happy that I’m able to showcase that right now.”

Mixon likes to visit the Texans’ defensive line meeting room to obtain a few snacks while bantering with the big guys.

“We’ve got a little something going, getting snacks and stuff like that,” Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said. “I think we just feed off of each other. Man, this is great having Joe. It’s like, ‘Joe, you’re going to get downhill today,’ and that’s exactly what he did.”

Texans’ Joe Mixon returns to action Sunday, active after three-game ankle injury (click2houston.com)

Texans’ Joe Mixon returns to practice, criticizes NFL: ‘I was stopped because of that weak-ass hip-drop tackle’ (click2houston.com)

Between Mixon’s 20-yard touchdown run and 10-yard touchdown catch and Pierce’s long run, the running game complemented Stroud as he delivered three touchdown passes.

Playing without Collins, who entered Sunday as the NFL receiving yardage leader, meant the Texans had to adapt.

“I think we knew that we needed everybody to step up, 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,” Stroud said. “We just try to pick up the slack and really just be there for one another and I feel like we did that.”

A strong running game can set the Texans, the defending AFC South champions and off to a 5-1 start that equals the fastest start in franchise history established in 2012 under former coach Gary Kubiak, apart from the other contenders in the AFC.

“Those guys bring playmaking ability,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Not just getting what the run is blocked for, but when your backs are special, they get more than what is blocked for. That’s what you saw with the explosive runs, the two big explosive runs, one by Dameon and one by Joe.”

Acquired in a trade from the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason after the Texans lost a bidding war with the Philadelphia Eagles during free agency for running back Saquon Barkley, Mixon has been all the team hoped for when it signed him to a three-year, $27 million contract extension.

Mixon has a lot of juice. At 6-foot-1, 229 pounds, he has the size of a linebacker and the speed of a wide receiver with an ultra-competitive personality.

“For Joe, you see the energy that he brings, it’s just different,” Ryans said. “He brings a different energy to our entire team, right? Joe, man, he’s probably one of the best competitors that I’ve been around. His passion for the game, his will to go out and play injured. Not all the way 100%, but for him to go out, gut it out and still have a really outstanding performance, it just shows who Joe is, right? He put the work in this week. He’s put a lot of work in, the rehab, to get himself back, and we’re just happy to have him and his energy. His presence just uplifts our entire team.”

Without Mixon, the offense just wasn’t the same as they tried in vain to match his production.

The Texans averaged 77 rushing yards during the three games Mixon was out.

On his 59-yard run, Mixon was off to the races before being brought down.

“Man, everybody executed their blocks,” Mixon said. “The hole was there, and I just did whatever I can to explode out the blocks and obviously we finish the right way. I didn’t finish on the score, but the guy took a hell of an angle. We ran it and we just executed it the right way. It was a great thing to see, smooth as butter.

The Texans, who rushed for 213 yards in the road win over the Colts, have invested heavily in their offensive line and in Mixon.

This was the kind of return they hoped for in those investments.

“It felt great,” Mixon said. “I’m just happy that everybody trusts in this scheme and trusts in everybody’s technique and doing everything the right way. When we play this game, everything is about us. It don’t matter who is on the opposite side. The team that we have and built, it just comes down to executing. We have all the talent in here from the offensive side, special teams and defensive side. The sky is the limit for us.”

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• Texans’ Joe Mixon practices again, expected to play Sunday, Kamari Lassiter, Jimmie Ward out this week

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