One of the main themes that stood out for me in last night's Hall of Fame game thriller between the Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Cardinals is the effectiveness that both teams showed in the running the football. That trait is something that has eluded the Houston Texans for the majority of their last three seasons.
Even though it was the very first preseason game of the 2026 season -- which always features a heavy influx of second and third-string players -- the reality is that each team was able to find impactful contributions on the ground. Panthers quarterback Haynes King even had the game-winner by way of a buzzer-beating five-yard touchdown scamper at the Cardinals' goal line as time expired. For the game, each team's most notable rushers were:
Carolina Panthers
- Running back, Miles Davis: 4 carries, 53 yards (13.3 YPC), long of 36 yards
- Quarterback, Haynes King: 3 carries, 39 yards (13.0 YPC), 1 touchdown, long of 26 yards
Arizona Cardinals
- Running back, Bam Knight: 12 carries, 60 yards (5.0 YPC), long of 15 yards
- Running back, Corey Kiner: 14 carries, 57 yards (4.1 YPC), 1 touchdown, long of 13 yards
For the Texans, even with it coming from such a small sample size, ground-based performances like that have to become more of a staple of their offense's production if they hope to finally hoist their first Lombardi Trophy in team history at season's end.
The Houston Texans have to run the ball effectively if they want to win a Super Bowl
Running the football has not been one of Houston's strong suits for the last three calendar years under head coach DeMeco Ryans. This can be attributed to a combination of poor offensive line play, questionable play designing between offensive coordinators Bobby Slowik (2023-2024) and Nick Caley and of course the untimely absence of Houston's most recent 1,000-yard rusher Joe Mixon due to his mystery foot injury that developed right before last season began.
These factors have combined to produce a bottom 5-10 rushing product in Houston, and one can make the case that the absence of sustained rushing success is one of the most significant reasons that the Texans haven't escaped the AFC Divisional round since 2023. This is why additions like running back David Montgomery and a small village's worth of offensive linemen were an offseason priority for general manager Nick Caserio and he Texans' front office.
It's not even that Houston needs a top-five rushing unit to achieve their goals. They just need to not end up in the bottom 66% yet again if they're serious about being a legitimate threat in the AFC. With their new additions and a full campaign's worth of health, Houston can finally make some actual noise in the NFL landscape.
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