Arian Foster was sick on Sunday – figuratively and literally.
Foster ran for 111 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries (4.6 average) against the Buffalo Bills, his 20th career 100-yard game. And he did it while overcoming an illness that hit him on Saturday night.
"I don't know what I have; it's a little flu or something like that," Foster said. "A little vomiting and things before the game and last night, but I'm OK."
Foster said after the game that he felt fatigued and his stomach hurt, and that adrenaline took over during the game. But despite his sickness, he had no concerns that he might not play.
"Unless I can't run, I'm going to run," he said.
Texans coach Gary Kubiak was conscious of not trying to wear Foster out because of how sick he was heading into the game.
"Arian wasn't feeling well," Kubiak said. "Not feeling well last night, and not feeling well this morning. That concerned me going into the game. I think he really sucked it up for the team today, and he played well.
"You see that a lot with players: Guys get sick and don't feel good, and sometimes they play some of their best football. He told me this morning, he said, 'Hey, I'm fine.' He came in here really early to get him some fluids, but I think he really had to push himself."
Asked about Foster's performance, defensive end Antonio Smith quipped that Foster's diet might have been a factor.
"It's that vegan power," Smith said. "It gave him extra strength. Even though he was sick, it just took a little bit of his superpowers, but he had more in reserve."
Smiling, Smith added, "It was very impressive. I dun' seen it through my years in this game. Some guys, they get sick and they don't think that they can do it and they start doubting themselves. You know that you've got a player that's gonna fight for his team when he goes out there sick as he was and still have the game that he had. "
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