Why didn't Joe Mixon play against the Houston Texans

The Houston Texans were hoping to see one of their newest editions to the offense finally debut when the New York Giants came to town. The new running back, Joe Mixon, was supposed to suit up against the Giants, making it the first time he's been in uniform for any sort of game so far this season. Yet, when the game started, Mixon wasn't the one behind C.J. Stroud.

Mixon didn't just miss out on the start either but on yet another game. That makes the third straight, as he's missed every preseason game so far the team has played. With one more looming next weekend, there remains a concern that he may not be ready for that game either. While it may not seem like a big deal, as preseason games don't matter to the standing of a team, learning the timing of your teammates isn't just something you can do in practice.

You need actual game reps so you can build a report with your teammates. With Mixon missing so much time, there is some growing concern that the running game may not be up to snuff when the season begins. The other issue revolves around why Mixon has missed so much time this preseason.

He's been dealing with a quad strain that's hampered him for most of camp, and despite head coach DeMeco Ryans saying Mixon would be ready to play on Saturday, that ended up not happening. It sounds like it had more to do with Ryans not wanting to put Mixon through the stresses of a game so soon after being cleared, and not due to Mixon re-aggravating the injury.

Still, his absence led to Dameon Pierce getting the start, and looking bad in Mixon's place. He only put up five yards on four carries and only has nine yards on eight carries for the preseason. Pierce continues to struggle, while guys like Cam Akers continue to excel.

If Mixon is going to miss time beyond preseason, which is certainly possible with a quad strain, the Texans better hope that Akers, and not Pierce is the man in the backfield at this point.