Reinforcement is coming for Houston in its AFC South showdown against Jacksonville on Sunday.
Texans running back Dameon Pierce is officially active following a three-game absence with an ankle injury.
Despite practicing fully all week, the tough RB was given a questionable classification on Friday.
It will be interesting to observe the impact of his comeback on Houston’s running game’s labor division. Pierce started the season as the Texans’ leading running back, but struggled to make significant progress in this role. Up until his injury in Week 8, he had scored one touchdown and had an average of 3.0 yards per carry, resulting in 327 yards from 109 attempts.
He also drifted into a more even split in carries with Devin Singletary during his last two games active, and Pierce’s fifth-year teammate has since been on a tear.
In his last two games, Singletary has had one of the most impressive stretches of his career, rushing for 262 yards and two touchdowns on 52 carries, with an average of 5.0 yards per carry.
The Texans might feel compelled to keep relying on their current successful strategy, but even if Pierce only plays a secondary role in his first game back, it will still be beneficial. No other running back apart from Singletary has had more than one carry in a game since Pierce was injured.
No matter how the carries pan out, Houston having its running back duo back together and healthy bodes well for an offense that’s surging under rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Heading into Week 12, the Texans are on a three-game winning streak and have the opportunity to take the division lead by sweeping the visiting Jaguars.
The stakes will be high when Houston (6-4) and Jacksonville (7-3) start their game this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
