Following a 2023 season in which they made the postseason with a first time head coach (DeMeco Ryans) and rookie quarterback (CJ Stroud), the Houston Texans double-down in the offseason, spending money and acquiring talent like a team that firmly believed their Super Bowl window is already open. Two of the biggest additions came in the form of new weapons for Stroud: wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and running back Joe Mixon.
In their first regular season appearance for the Texans, both Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon delivered in a big way. Diggs, who left Buffalo on uneasy terms, scored two touchdowns in his Texans debut, but it was Mixon who emerged from Houston's 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts as the star of the game.
Joe Mixon ran the ball 30 times, only his third NFL game with 30 carries, and rushed for 159 yards, the third-highest total of his career. He also punched in a 3-yard touchdown run in the opening minutes of the 4th quarter to give Houston a 22-13 lead.
After the game, Mixon, who was traded to Houston from the Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason, was asked after the game if he wished he could've gotten an opportunity to face his former team this season. Mixon's response was a slight surprise.
“No, I don’t, actually,” Mixon told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “I just wanna leave them where they’re at, just like where they left me, man.”
Where the Bengals are at is in an 0-1 hole following an embarrassing loss to the New England Patriots in Week 1. Meanwhile, the Texans are riding high as the only team in the AFC South who got a win on the opening Sunday of the season.
Joe Mixon finding happiness in Houston
Even though Joe Mixon has conceded that he never wanted to leave Cincinnati, he's in good spirits as a member of the Houston Texans. A divisional win and a large workload is good enough reason to be joyful, I suppose.
“I’m happy to be on my new team, man, embracing me. It feels great to be able to be a big part of what we do over here,” Mixon added.
For now, Joe Mixon is concerned with being, “the best teammate and leader that I know how to be.” But that doesn't mean he wasn't setting big-time personal goals ahead of his first game with the Texans.
According to ABC News' DJ Bien-Aime, Mixon challenged the Texans' offensive line earlier this week, saying, “let's go get 150 to start it off.”
He got 159 yards for good measure. And now as the Texans get ready to step into the primetime spotlight next Sunday night against the Chicago Bears, Mixon is probably looking at the already-struggling Bengals and saying, “Who dey?”
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