Joe Mixon injury update: Report updates status of running back ahead of playoff matchup vs. Chiefs

The Houston Texans got a positive update from James Palmer of The Bleacher Report on Friday night. According to Palmer, Texans running back Joe Mixon is expected to play in their AFC Divisional game against the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs. Houston will find out on Saturday how he feels and moves in pregame to determine if he’ll be able to handle his normal workload against the Chiefs.

Mixon, 28, did not practice Thursday after being limited in Wednesday’s practice.

Mixon dealt with an ankle issue earlier in the season. He first sustained the injury in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears and missed Weeks 3-5. Mixon returned in Week 6 against the New England Patriots and has played in every game since.

Mixon earned his second Pro Bowl honor this season, rushing for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns on 4.1 yards per carry. He starred in the 32-12 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Wild Card Round last Saturday, rushing for 106 yards on 25 carries. He ran for a 17-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Joe Mixon has enjoyed an exceptional NFL career

Mixon has been an exceptional running back throughout his career, racking up 1,816 carries for 7,428 rushing yards and 60 touchdowns. He’s averaged 4.1 yards per carry. As a receiver, he’s hauled in 319 catches for 2,448 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s averaged 7.7 yards per catch.

A dynamic all-purpose threat, Mixon has had five seasons of more than 1,000 rushing yards in his NFL career. He was one of the Texans’ most consistent and dominant offensive weapons this season, when healthy. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say he played an integral role in carrying them to the 2025 NFL Playoffs.

While at Oklahoma, Mixon established himself as one of the best all-purpose backs in college football for the Sooners. He rushed for 753 yards and seven touchdowns in 2015. As a receiver, he hauled in 28 catches for 356 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Mixon finished the year with over 1,000 all-purpose yards. In 2016, he finished with 1,274 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

As a receiver, he hauled in 538 receiving yards and five touchdowns. On kick return, Mixon had 494 return yards and one touchdown, including a 97-yard return. His 2016 season was one of the best in school history, finishing with 2,331 all-purpose yards (194.3 yards per game). It was an Oklahoma program record for both all-purpose yards and all-purpose yards per game, one of the best seasons in school history.

The Chiefs and Texans will battle it out on Saturday in the AFC Divisional Round. Kick is set for 4:30 PM EST and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN and ABC.

On3’s Nick Geddes also contributed to this article.