The rigors of an NFL schedule may still be new for Houston Texans rookie running back Woody Marks, but it doesn't take a seasoned vet to understand that when you're playing a team within your own division, it means just a little bit more.
For the Texans, this Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts means a whole lot more. A win over the Colts moves Houston to just a game behind the Colts in the AFC South standings. Additionally, it strengthens Houston's position in the race for a Wild Card berth in the more likely scenario where either the Colts or Jacksonville Jaguars win the division.
And a loss? Well, a loss drops the Texans back down to .500 with a date at Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs coming next week.
So yeah, the Texans need this one, and Woody Marks knows it.
"Added juice? Yeah, it's a divisional game. It counts. It counts a lot. We're trying to come up and — I think we three right now — so we've got to go out and win no matter what," Marks told reporters on Tuesday. "These matter the most. We've got these games, divisional games, big games. Big-time players show up in big-time games."
How Woody Marks plays in these upcoming games won't provide us or the Texans with a definitive answer on whether or not the 4th round rookie is a 'big-time player,' but providing the Texans with a boost in the ground game would go a long way in justifying the optimism that many Texans fans and those around the organization have in the 24-year-old back who is coming off of a career-high 74 yard game against the Buffalo Bills last Thursday.
For the season, Marks has carried 115 times for 422 yards and 2 touchdowns, overtaking the lead back role from Nick Chubb in the middle of the season. Marks has also proven to be a more reliable pass-catching threat than Chubb, hauling in 17 receptions for 185 yards and 2 additional scores.