The Houston Texans are now back at NRG Stadium, as they won their preseason Week 2 home game 20-3 over the Carolina Panthers. The Texans' starters played one quarter, where C.J. Stroud led an 11-play drive that got capped off with a five-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins.
Week two is where you typically get to see the starters play longer, and what stood out in this game specifically was the running back group the Texans have this season. While Pro Bowl starting back Joe Mixon is still dealing with his ankle injury, fellow veteran Pro Bowler Nick Chubb got the start, and he looked great. Chubb ended the day with five carries for 25 yards as well as one reception for four yards.
It has been a long road to recovery for Chubb, suffering multiple season-ending injuries over the years. In 2023, Chubb sustained a severe season-ending leg injury in Week 2 that required surgery to repair his MCL, meniscus, and ACL. His 2024 season also came to an abrupt end after the former Browns running back broke his foot during Week 15 against the Chiefs.
Recovering from an ACL or MCL injury often takes time, sometimes even years, and it now appears the former Georgia Bulldog is finally nearing his old form. That kind of return would be a tremendous boost for Houston. If Chubb is anything like he was before, this could be a true difference making player. Chubb had some strong runs on Saturday and showed his ability to break tackles, something that cannot be seen during training camp or even practice.
The 29-year-old still has it and was effective in his short outing. Chubb used to average 5.4 yards per carry before his knee injury in 2023. Last season, the 2nd round pick had 332 yards on 102 carries and just three touchdowns in eight games. On Saturday, Chubb had five yards per carry and showed something that maybe was not there last season. While the Texans are not expecting anything like his 2022 season of 1525 yards, a slight improvement from 2024 would be big time.
The Texans Have Very Strong Depth in the Running Back Room
It now looks like the Texans may have a clear third-string running back after rookie Woody Marks showed off his talent at the position. The fourth-round pick from USC has been hyped up so far, and for a good reason. Marks broke out for 1133 yards and nine touchdowns on 5.7 yards per carry last year for the Trojans, which created excitement once the Texans selected him. The 24-year-old spent four seasons at Mississippi State, and while he had solid numbers rushing, the receiving ability of Marks was on display with over 500 yards on 83 catches in 2022. The 5-foot-10 back had a career-high 198 carries to firmly establish himself as a true option for the NFL level.
Marks showed his power to break tackles and the ability to consistently get a good amount of yards per carry with his strength. Not only that, the former Trojan is a great pass catcher from the backfield, and Texans fans will likely see more of that in the future. Marks had seven rushes for 40 yards on Saturday, good for 5.7 yards per carry.
This shows how promising the Texans running back room is this season. When Mixon comes back, this will be a very scary trio for defenses to handle.