Texans RB Joe Mixon named AFC Offensive Player of the Week

Joe Mixon’s first game with the Houston Texans was one for the history books.

It also was considered the best outing by any offensive player Sunday afternoon.

Mixon was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, the NFL announced today. This is Mixon’s fourth Player of the Week honor since being drafted out of Oklahoma in 2017 and first with the Texans.

Acquired via trade this offseason from the Cincinnati Bengals, Mixon pulverized through the Colts’ defense en route to totaling 178 scrimmage yards, the highest total in the NFL in Week 1. The 2021 Pro Bowler tied his career-high with 30 rushing attempts in his first contest as a Texan, tallying an NFL-best 159 rushing yards while finding the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown run.

According to NFL Stats and Information, Mixon’s 159 rushing yards marks the sixth-most in NFL history by a player in their debut with a new team. It’s also the sixth-most in franchise history and second-most by a Texan in any Week 1 contest.

Of his 159 rushing yards, 101 of them came after contact, the second-most in the NFL this past week and fourth-most by Mixon in his career. Mixon also rushed for 104 yards in the second half, helping Houston remain on offense for nearly 25 minutes to secure a 29-27 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Mixon’s 9-yard run on third down iced the game with 1:48 remaining in the fourth quarter. It also marked an NFL-leading ninth rushing first down of the day.

“It was huge,” quarterback C.J. Stroud Stroud said of Mixon’s consistency. “I think that definitely you can impose your will running the ball. You open up a whole multitude of types of plays for Bobby (Slowik) to call, and honestly, we just kept going to it.”

The accolade stands as the 57th time a Texan has been named Player of the Week and the 20th time an offensive player has claimed the honor.

The Texans return to NRG Stadium for their home opener this Sunday against the Chicago Bears. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on NBC as the Sunday Night Football matchup.