Going into the week 3 clash against the Vikings, Texans RB Joe Mixon had a questionable tag since suffering an ankle injury against the Bears. But his continued absence from practice for three days straight threw questions on his ability to return before the Vikings clash. Well, offering an update on the same, Ian Rapoport broke the news that Texans fans were hoping not to hear.

Based upon the latest injury report by Texans, Mixon has been downgraded to out and won’t be traveling to Minnesota. This would be a huge blow for the Texans offense that was looking to build upon their narrow win against the Bears last week. Even Mixon had a big role to play in the Texans’ start to their season.

The 28-year-old, since joining the Texans from the Bengals this year, recorded a great start to his new chapter in Houston. Playing his first game for the Texans, Mixon recorded 159 rushing yards while notching up a sensational 30 carries that won him the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

Continuing where he left off against the Colts in week 1, Mixon started strongly in Houston last week. Having covered 50 yards on 12 touches, tragedy soon followed the Texans RB. After suffering an ankle injury late in 3rd quarter, Mixon had to leave the field. But he did return to play seven snaps but couldn’t bring out his natural game citing injury struggle.

Although there was a small chance of Mixon returning before the Vikings match, as hoped by head coach DeMeco Ryans. That slimmer of hope quickly evaporated after Mixon got declared ruled out this weekend. As Mixon is deemed unavailable for the clash, what about the other players who were in the injury report alongside Mixon?

Houston Texans vs Minnesota Vikings clash injury report

Considering the injuries that Houston is currently dealing their win against the Bears looks more impressive as the days pass by. Looking back at the first injury report released by the Texans in the week, it had seven players with DNP status. Among those were notably Joe Mixon, who had been ruled out for the upcoming clash.

Elsewhere, early signs have shown that WR Nico Collins might play this weekend after missing practice throughout the week. Although there is no concrete news considering Collins’ availability on Sunday, there is optimism surrounding his participation. Moreover, on offense, RB Dameon Pierce is still out suffering from a hamstring injury.

While Pierce is set to watch the game from the sidelines, Cam Akers might be gearing up to face the Vikings in Minnesota. But the Texans aren’t the only ones suffering from injury troubles on their roster. Their star receiver, Justin Jefferson, remained in limited participation as he recovers from quad troubles. Meanwhile, WR Jordan Addison (ankle) also didn’t participate in practice, thereby making his involvement questionable.

As both teams continue to fight with injury troubles, this clash will surely be defined by the smallest of margins. Or are there some last-minute surprises waiting for us while we wait for the kickoff in Minnesota?

With that being said, do check out our latest Think Tank exclusive interview with Doug Sanders. It’s packed with insights on college football, the current NFL season, and much more.