Arian Foster proves he’s back for Houston Texans

Sep 7, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (23) stiff arms Washington Redskins free safety Ryan Clark (25) during the second half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Arian Foster‘s 103 yards on 27 carries on the first NFL Sunday against the Washington Redskins was proof that he has healed up from his offseason back injury, but he still has a lot left in the tank for the Houston Texans this season.

I know it was just one game (the Texans won 17-6), and I was one who worried all offseason about his health headed into the year, but if Sunday wasn’t proof that he’s back on track, then I don’t know what is.

Even with his “I just want to be a good teammate” type interviews all summer, seeing Foster sustain the hits the Redskins’ defense was dishing out was just a good sight to see from the last time we saw Foster in a regular-season game one season ago.

In his last two games of ’13, he had just four carries for 11 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 20, and the next game (following a bye week) on Nov. 3, he didn’t have a carry against the Indianapolis Colts.

Since that November evening, Foster has healed up from what ailed him, and though his longest carry was 10 yards, he carved out a 100-plus yard day with determination and toughness, averaging 3.8 yards per carry.

It is safe to say, averaging 3.8 yards per carry and gaining 103 yards is a very tough thing to do at any level of football, much less the NFL.

Looking at the past 100-plus yard rushing games of Foster, he averaged under 4.0 ypc in those games a total of just five times before Sunday, with the lowest being 3.4 ypc in ’11 when he had 33 carries for 112 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 30, 2011.

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Last season, Foster had a 102-yard rushing game on 27 carries for a 3.8 ypc.

Now what I’m interested in seeing is how Foster comes back in Week 2 for the Texans in their game at Oakland against the Raiders.

This past weekend against the New York Jets, the Raiders allowed Chris Ivory to gain 102 yards on 10 carries and allowed a total of 212 yards of rushing to four players.

Foster could be be returning to his 2010-12 form, but even if he isn’t that good, as long as he stays healthy, Foster will put up very good numbers and easily reach the 1,000-yard mark for a season.

That is if he stays on the field. If he does, that the Texans’ offense will have the boost they desperately missed most of last season.