The Houston Texans take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9. They might have to do so without their leading rusher, Dameon Pierce, judging by Thursday's practice report.

Pierce missed his second straight practice as he deals with an ankle injury, per ESPN's Field Yates. That is not a good sign for his availability for Sunday.

If Pierce is unable to dress on Sunday, Devin Singletary would be in line for an increased workload.

Although Pierce leads the Texans in rushing this season, he has not taken the expected step following his rookie season. In 2022, Pierce led the Texans with 939 rushing yards and a 4.3 yards-per-carry average.

This season, Pierce has struggled despite getting the lion's share of carries in Houston's backfield. The second-year back has eclipsed 65 rushing yards in a game just once. He's averaging a dismal 3.0 YPC and has scored one touchdown on the season.

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Singletary was signed as a free agent in March of this year after four productive seasons with the Buffalo Bills. Brought in to serve as Pierce's backup, Singletary has seen his share of carries increase as the season has gone on.

He got double-digit carries in Weeks 6 and 8 (Houston was on a bye in Week 7), his first two games of the season with 10+ rushing attempts. Although he's been better than Pierce, it hasn't been by much.

Singletary's YPC is a middling 3.7, with zero touchdowns on the season. He has not contributed to the passing game as much as expected either.

Running back injuries aside, the Texans are clearly more invested in letting rookie QB sensation C.J. Stroud throw them to victory. With impressive wide receiver depth at his disposal, whoever lines up at running back is destined to take a back seat anyway.