Reinforcement is coming for Houston in its AFC South showdown against Jacksonville on Sunday.
Texans running back Dameon Pierce is officially active following a three-game absence with an ankle injury.
The hard-nosed RB received a questionable designation on Friday despite practicing in full all week.
It will be intriguing to see how his return affects the division of labor in Houston’s running game. Pierce began the season as the Texans’ RB1 but found little room to operate in the role. He had one touchdown and was averaging 3.0 yards per carry, good for 327 yards on 109 attempts, at the time of his Week 8 injury.
He also drifted into a more even split in carries with Devin Singletary during his last two games active, and Pierce’s fifth-year teammate has since been on a tear.
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Singletary has rushed for 262 yards and two touchdowns on 52 carries in the past two games, averaging 5.0 yards per carry across one of the most impressive stretches of his career.
The Texans may feel obliged to continue riding the hot hand, but even if Pierce only serves a complementary role for his first game back, it will prove valuable — no other RB outside Singletary has logged more than a single carry in a game since Pierce fell injured.
No matter how the carries pan out, Houston having its running back duo back together and healthy bodes well for an offense that’s surging under rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The Texans are rolling into Week 12 with a three-game winning streak and a chance to sweep the visiting Jaguars for the division lead.
That’s what’s at stake when Houston (6-4) and Jacksonville (7-3) kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
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