With Nick Chubb sidelined due to a rib injury and Joe Mixon still M.I.A., Week 15 was supposed to be a prolonged showcase for rookie 4th round pick Woody Marks. Over the course of the season, Marks has slowly but surely unseated Chubb as Houston's primary ball-carrier, but with Chubb out of the picture entirely against the Arizona Cardinals, it appeared that Marks alone would get the chance to show what he could do as a bell-cow back.
But that experience didn't last even a full half before Marks exited Houston's 40-20 win over Arizona with an ankle injury, setting the stage for Jawhar Jordan, a 2nd-year back who had only been called up to Houston's main roster from the practice squad earlier this week and hadn't logged a carry in his NFL career prior to today, to put forth one of the most surprising performances of the season.
Doing practically all of his work in the 2nd half, the former 6th-round pick carried 15 times for 101 yards and added 2 receptions for 17 yards, giving the 26-year-old 118 total yards of offense in his first taste of regular season NFL action. Amazingly, with his 101 yard rushing performance, Jordan became the first Texans running back with over 100 yards on the ground in a game this season.
The last time the Louisville product had over 100 yards in a single game, it was in a 23-0 victory over the Duke Blue Devils on October 28, 2023.
There's no word yet on whether Marks' ankle injury will keep him out of next week's home game against the Las Vegas Raiders, nor has there been an indication that Chubb will be back either, which means Jawhar Jordan could have an unexpectedly large role as the Texans go for their seventh consecutive win next Sunday.