Is a revamped rushing attack the key to a Super Bowl run for the Texans?

The lasting image that most of America has of the Houston Texans in 2026 is the look of defeat and despair on the face of quarterback C.J. Stroud as the Super Bowl hopes of his team slowly evaporated on a sloshy Winter's Sunday in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

We've all heard it 1,000 times by now: the fact that Stroud engineered arguably the worst two-game stretch for a quarterback in NFL postseason history between two games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. In total, he was responsible for 5+ fumbles and 5+ interceptions in two games, making him the first player in NFL history to achieve such a dubious feat.

No ground support in Foxborough

However, one thing that has flown under the radar was how little help Stroud received from his rushing attack on the day. Against the Patriots, running backs Woody Marks and Nick Chubb combined for zero scores and a total of only 31 yards on 18 carries (which averaged out to 1.7 yards per attempt). In fact, the longest run of the day was on a 10-yard scamper by Stroud in the third quarter, eventually leading to a red zone fumble by Marks.

Compare that to how the Patriots performed on the ground, with running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson linking up for a combined 95 yards on 28 carries. Even though no team had a rushing score, the Texans were down 64 yards in the rushing department to the Patriots.

This proved to be of vital importance when it came to controlling the game's flow, giving both quarterbacks a safety valve option in times of distress and ultimately securing the contest in the fourth quarter.

Why the run game matters

The value of a quality running game cannot be understated in today's NFL, especially in situations like what was witnessed on Sunday afternoon. Imagine if the Texans' offensive line and running back room were able to produce a 200+ yard, two-touchdown performance. Would Houston be sitting on their couches right now after that? Most certainly not.

Larger than that, the current trend amongst viable Super Bowl contenders shows a high dependence on elite rushing performances to carry most of the load en route to trying to hoist Lombardi trophies. The last three Super Bowls are a great example of this, as all three games featured at least one team that ranked top-five in either total rushing yards or rushing touchdowns for the regular season (if not both).

The Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers, who were some of the runner-ups to the Super Bowl contestants from each conference in that span, ranked in the top-five of various significant rushing categories throughout those seasons.

Houston's limited production in the backfield

Simply put, teams that are serious about winning at the highest level have emphasized running the football. The Texans haven't finished top-five in any rushing category since Arian Foster in 2014 (fifth in yards per game, 135.1).

Since then, they've ranged from mediocre to downright horrible in ground production. For context, running back Joe Mixon was the last 1,000-yard rusher for Houston since 2019, and he didn't even play this season due to a mystery injury.

That has to change if the Texans actually want to change that 0-7 Divisional round scar to 1-7 and a trip to their first AFC Championship game in franchise history. Stroud definitely did his part to sink their chances for this season, but it's not like he had a game-changing rushing plan to fall back on.

The clock starts on March 11th for Houston, which is the date when free agency opens and the new league year starts. Let's see if general manager Nick Caserio will think to add some artillery in the backfield by then.