HOUSTON – The arrival of Joe Mixon via what has emerged as a decidedly lopsided trade has meant more than just his presence as a talented, bruising running back with a rare combination of size, speed, elusiveness , versatility and vision.
Having Mixon in the Texans’ offensive backfield and locker room added a bold, outspoken leader not shy about calling out whatever he deems necessary to point out and emphasize. It’s that kind of personality and will power that has brought a tougher edge to the defending AFC South champions.
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Mixon has an old-school, hard-nosed mentality. He doesn’t back down an inch, anywhere. When it comes to clutch moments, he’s as reliable as the day is long.
The credibility of Mixon speaks volumes and he arguably represents their best hope from an offensive standpoint of competing in the playoffs should the division leaders hold onto their two-game leader in the AFC South with four games remaining in the regular season.
“A lot, man,” Texans wide receiver Nico Collins said when asked what Mixon means to the team. “He’s a leader, a dawg, a captain and that piece that we needed. We need that leadership, and that’s what be brings every day and that dawg mentality. He’s the same person Monday through Sunday.
“Ain’t nothing changes but the day with him. So, I’m glad he’s on this side, glad he’s out there making plays for us. We know what kind of dude he is. He brings that grit. He brings that dawg and that’s what we’re about.”
No greater example of Mixon’s value to the team exists than the rugged way the 6-foot-1, 220-pound former Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowl selection closed out the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 23-20 road victory.
Mixon was determined to finish what he started, to impose his will on the Jaguars’ defense. True to form, he was vocal and passionate about what he had planned inside the Texans’ huddle
Everyone inside EverBank Stadium knew that the Texans’ star running back was going to get the football in this clutch moment. And the Jaguars’ overmatched defense wasn’t capable, wasn’t up to the task of stopping Mixon from doing what he wanted.
Mixon simply took over the game on a clutch 3rd-and-5 moment, attacking the line of scrimmage and running downhill to pick up a key first down running to his left behind Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and finding a hole and exploding through it to allow the Texans to run out the clock in the final minutes.
And Mixon rushed for 101 yards on 20 carries with one touchdown, inflicting most of the damage on the Jaguars in the second half, for his sixth 100-yard rushing performance on the road this season to set an NFL single-game record as he surpassed Derrick Henry and Tiki Barber.
Named a team captain by coach DeMeco Ryans after wide receiver Stefon Diggs was lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Mixon represents one of general manager Nick Caserio’s wisest investments.
Acquired in a trade from the Bengals for a seventh-round draft pick and signed to a three-year, $27 million contract extension that included a $6 million signing bonus with $16 million guaranteed, Mixon is averaging 88.7 rushing yards per game to rank third in the NFL and has already rushed for 11 touchdowns.
“Joe’s been phenomenal,” Caserio said. “Can’t say enough great things about Joe Mixon, what he brings to the table. Just his mindset, the way he plays, his physicality, his toughness, his leadership. DeMeco making Joe a captain for the rest of the year, that was something that was earned. That wasn’t just we’re giving out party favors. That was something like his teammates see that and they respect that.
“Can’t say enough great things about Joe Mixon. He’s been a good football player. He’s a great teammate. He’s a good leader. He’s a good mentor for younger players. He’s always been a very productive player and very versatile. He’s kind of been a three-down back, which there’s not a lot of those in this league, and he sort of fits that profile. Glad Joe’s here. He certainly has helped us. Hopefully ,he can help us here the next four games.”
'He brings that grit, he brings that dawg' #Texans wide receiver Nico Collins on standout running back Joe Mixon @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/rZ15XrYhpW
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 7, 2024
It was Mixon’s eight-yard run on a key third down that allowed the Texans to finish the game in rugged fashion true to his style. Mixon had rushed for just 19 yards on eight carries in the first half, averaging 2.4 yards per run one week after the Texans’ running game was shut down as he was held to a season-low 22 yards on 14 carries in a shocking loss to the Tennessee Titans and their heavyweight defensive tackle tandem of Jeffery Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat.
Not this time, though. Mixon wasn’t going to be denied.
“It’s everything because when you are put in gotta-have it situations you’ve got to deliver,” Mixon said inside the visitors’ locker room minutes after loud music played in celebration. “You’ve got to do whatever you can to show up for your brothers. I tell them boys, ‘Just give me a crease, I’m going to find it, I’m going to make you right.’
“Those boys, they was locked in. Third-and-five, you know it’s coming, they knew it was coming. They knew where it was coming. To be able to dominate and come out on top and be able to convert a 3rd-and-5, that’s will and want-to. That’s grit. That’s imposing our will and I’m glad we were able to convert and finish strong.”
#Texans running back Joe Mixon on win over #Jaguars his latest 100-yard game and touchdown, his blocking and state of 8-5 team headed into much needed bye @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/oFHGp1C6Sm
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 1, 2024
Mixon had his seventh 100-yard game of the season, the most by any NFL player. He became the first player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to rush for 100 yards and a touchdown in six consecutive road games, passing Henry (five in 2020) and Barber (five in 2004). It’s his sixth consecutive road game with a touchdown run, making him the first player in franchise history to hit that milestone as he bypassed Arian Foster and Domanick Williams.
“He very much exemplifies what we believe, as far as a Texans mindset,” offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said. “He plays fast, he is physical, he is tough, and you make sure you know it and you see it. Every time he touches the rock, and every time he goes out in practice, how he approaches the meetings. He goes about it the way everyone in the Texans organization should go about it.”
Mixon was limping in the second half, but there was no way he was coming out of the game for a breather.
“Joe, man, you talk about a guy who plays with the relentless mindset, the tenacity that you need,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Joe is an old-school running back. He is the guy that wants it 30 times and keeps getting better the more touches he gets. Really proud of him to know he’s hurting and still push through, still churn out yards when they’re loading the box and to still be able to find a way to get yards. It’s really impressive by our line. I thought our tight ends, can’t say enough about the way they blocked as well. I thought they did an outstanding job blocking and Joe ran it really well.”
Carrying the football five consecutive times with the Texans clinging to a three-point lead after the Jaguars closed the gap behind a Mac Jones touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr. and a two-point pass to Travis High graduate Parker Washington, it was time for Mixon as offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik trusted him to close out the game behind his blockers.
#Texans GM Nick Caserio on Joe Mixon 'phenomenal' contributions and leadership @KPRC2 @Joe_MainMixon pic.twitter.com/aBEIrRk81U
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 3, 2024
“Empty the tank, strain, empty the tank,” Mixon said. “Credit to Slow to call a 3rd-and-5 run to end the game like that, bro, it was a hell of a thing. I’m just glad we was able to put it on ice. Hey, I got to put it on tape. I got to put it on the line for my guys. Hey, we played a 60-minute game, a divisional game and we needed it. When we need it most, that’s when you put your best (stuff) on tape. I’m just glad we was able to close it out in running fashion.”
Now, Mixon is tied for the second-most touchdown runs in the NFL and tied Foster and Williams for the most touchdown runs in a single season with four games to play in the regular season.
Mixon has rushed for 887 yards, eighth-most in the NFL despite missing three games with an ankle injury. Mixon is averaging 4.3 yards per carry and is on pace to finish the season with 1,160 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has 27 catches for 244 yards and one score.
“He means a lot to me, man,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “Not only just in this offense, but just as a brother. Somebody who has been there before, been around a great elite quarterback and knows what it looks like. He’s always telling me like, ‘Bro, you got it. Just continue to just be you.’ For me, it’s been great to have that, because at times you can be in your own head or whatever. But he’s always there to pick me back up. And a lot of the guys, too.”
Mixon has carried this team at times on his back.
“Yeah, just his personality,” Stroud said. “He’s a servant, a helper. That’s ultimately what I want to be as well. Who can I serve and how can I help? That’s ultimately what the game of football is. I think Joe has done a great job of that, and I’m just really, really happy that he’s on my team. Because playing against him last year, he was great with the Bengals.
“So, we’re able to generate some good drives with him, being able to run downhill, stretch zones, switch up scheme, go gap scheme. Our line has bought into what type of back he is, to makes the blocks right. He’s serving those guys even with that, trying new things that he hasn’t done in a long time. So, I think he’s a great, great, great brother to lean on for everybody.”
Midway through the third quarter at the Jaguars’ 37-yard line with the score tied at 6-6, Mixon cut sharply to his left and ran 30 yards before he was pushed out of bounds by the left sideline. This marked the Texans’ second-longest play of the game, ranking behind wide receiver Nico Collins’ 40-yard catch
“Joe is a dawg, man,” Texans right tackle Tytus Howard told KPRC 2. “This is him every day at practice. He’s tough and physical. We do what we do and he’s going to lead us and make plays. Grown-man football.”
'Talk about a guy who plays with a relentless mindset' DeMeco Ryans on #Texans Joe Mixon toughness, mentality, will and want-to @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/07usPAE3MH
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 2, 2024
That run set the table for Mixon’s touchdown run to give them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish as the Texans scored 17 consecutive points. This was the Texans’ second offensive touchdown in the second half since an Oct. 13 Dameon Pierce touchdown run against the New England Patriots.
“Dawg, that’s pretty much all there is to say,” Tunsil told KPRC 2 when asked about Mixon’s contributions. “There’s not much to say. Always finishing.”
The blocking was there and Mixon did the rest.
He trusted his blockers and he was instinctive in reading the holes.
“To be honest, bro, credit to them: the linemen, the tight ends, the receivers, the fullbacks,” Mixon said. “They bust their (butts). We know you’re going to make it right. All week, we talked about running backs and linemen and combinations and Slow was harping on staying in phase.
“The fact we was able to block, running the football, they was throwing all kinds of looks, everything on a play sheet to try to stop the run. I just felt like we did a hell of a job owning what was called. Everybody was out there making blocks and me being able to make a play.”
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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
