John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.
Until the Texans fix their pass protection issues, opponents are going to see an offense that features running back Joe Mixon. No team knows more about what Mixon is capable of doing than the Colts, Sunday's opponent at NRG Stadium.
On an afternoon when Andre Johnson will be honored by receiving his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring in a halftime ceremony, Mixon will be looking for a repeat performance from the season-opening game against the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
In his first game with the Texans, Mixon ignited a 29-27 victory with 30 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown. After Sunday's three-point loss at Green Bay on a field goal with no time remaining, the Texans (5-2) need to bounce back in this crucial AFC South game against the Colts (4-3) that will impact first place in the AFC South.
If the Texans win, they'll lead the division by two games. Lose and they'll be tied for first place with the Colts. A sweep would essentially give the Texans a three-game lead because of the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage.
"This game is big," Head Coach DeMeco Ryans said. "The Colts are coming into our house, and it's a game for first place. It's a huge game for us, and we have a bad taste in our mouth from (Green Bay defeat).
We're excited about this opportunity. I told our guys, 'You can't get up for this game, then why are you here?' Everybody understands the impact of this game, and we're excited to move on to this one."
Unless the pass protection improves against an Indianapolis defense that's allowed 17 or fewer points in four games, including back-to-back victories over the Titans and Dolphins, the Texans are going to have to rely heavily on the running game.
The Texans need another 100-yard game from Mixon. He wasn't the issue at Lambeau Field. While the offensive line and tight ends struggled with stunts and blitzes, Mixon capitalized on good run blocking with 25 carries for 115 yards (4.6 average) and two touchdowns.
Overall, Bobby Slowik's offense generated 142 yards rushing and 4.3 a carry. With the linemen clearing holes for Mixon, he contributed four double-digit runs of 32, 10, 17 and 12 yards.
"When it came to the running game, I felt like our guys did a good job of getting good hat placement -- hat on a hat," Ryans said. "We had a couple of well-executed, well-blocked plays. I (showed) our guys (blockers) when we do it right and we're on the guy we're supposed to be on and hand the ball to Joe, he's going to make some impact plays happen for us."
With quarterback C.J. Stroud getting constant pressure from the Packers' pass rush, including four sacks and seven knockdowns, and finishing with 10-of-21 for 86 yards and a 58.8 rating, running the ball effectively became imperative.
On Sunday, the offense needs that same kind of production from Mixon and his run blockers.
"Everybody thrives off the momentum that Joe's able to create with his run style," Ryans said. "His playmaking ability is huge for our team. His mentality – how he runs the ball – really gives us a chance.
"Now, we have to continue to feed him and continue to clean up our issues in the passing game to have a well-balanced offense."
Stopping the run has been a problem for Indianapolis all season. It started against the Texans, who rushed 40 times for 213 and controlled the ball for 40 minutes. In their victory over Miami on Sunday, the Colts allowed the Dolphins to rush 40 times for 188 yards.
Indianapolis enters Sunday's game 31st against the run, surrendering 159.9 yards a game. That run defense is a big reason the Colts are 29th in defense, allowing 382 yards a game.
Their performance against the Packers left the Texans 15th in rushing (122.1). Mixon finished the game with an 82.5 grade, the highest on the team, according to Pro Football Focus. Mixon and linebacker Jake Hansen (82.0), who made his first start because of injuries, were the only players who received grades of at least 80.
Mixon was a bulldozer at Green Bay. He had 3.3 yards after contact and forced the Packers to miss nine tackles when trying to bring him down.
Because of an ankle injury suffered in a victory over the Bears in the second game, Mixon has played in only four games. He's averaged 100.3 yards and 5.2 a carry. Subtract the Chicago game in which he was limited to nine carries for 25 yards after being the victim of a hip-drop tackle, and Mixon averages 125.3 and 5.5 a carry.
Mixon has been so good for the Texans – and his blockers play a vital role, of course – that his three 100-yard games are tied for second behind NFL leader Derrick Henry (four).
And check out this fact about Mixon: If he rushes for at least 100 yards and a touchdown, he'll be the first non-rookie to achieve that feat in four of his first five games with a new team – in NFL history.
So Sunday's game could help Mixon make history and could give the Texans what amounts to a three-game lead in the AFC South.
The Texans will need more than Mixon to sweep the Colts. The Colts will have a game plan designed to contain him and then pressure Stroud with stunts and blitzes as the Packers did. Ryans believes his players will be up to the task.
"The guys have done it multiple games," he said. "We've had a lot of great games where we have protected very well. And we've done a great job of protecting and allowing C.J. to throw for over 300 yards.
"It's a matter of us executing, finishing and being on the details every single time we go out. It'll always be about us and executing. It's not something we can't get done."
As Ryans, his coaches and players know, there's nothing to it but to do it.
