The Houston Texans were 10-0 when Woody Marks carried the ball at least 11 times. Think about that for a second! And they were 11-0 when he rushed for 44 yards or more. Those were real, rock-solid streaks since the guy was drafted in 2025, telling you exactly who the Texans leaned on when it mattered. Then October 25th against the New York Giants happened. In a 27-21 overtime loss, Marks put up 19 carries for 66 yards, but it wasn’t enough. Both those perfect streaks, shattered. Just like that, all that hard-earned history vanished, and it really highlights the mess Houston’s ground game is trying to untangle.
Houston’s Ground Game Is a Total Mess, Except for One Guy (Sometimes)
Let’s be real, the Texans hoped for a completely revamped run game this year after totally struggling in 2025. Yeah, that plan flew right out the window. Through eight weeks, they’re the fourth-worst in the league in yards per carry and have the second-fewest carries overall. Coach DeMeco Ryans says he “wants us to move the football” and “score points,” not caring if it’s run or pass. Well, good thing, because most of their total yardage is coming through the air. You can’t just ignore a run game this bad, even if you’re throwing it around.
David Montgomery, who they picked up from Detroit in an offseason trade, had a wild start. Week 1 against Buffalo, an overtime loss, he scored three touchdowns, and the team rushed for 124 yards. That sounds promising, right? Wrong. They immediately followed that up with three straight games under 70 rushing yards. Last season, they only had *one* game under 70 yards. One! Now it’s a trend. Center Evan Brown puts it simply, Marks “sees the hole and hits it hard,” but the offensive line needs to give him more room. You can’t just hang your running back out to dry like that.
The “Run Right” Phenomenon and the Ghost of Big Plays
Here’s where things get weird. The rushing attack has actually been a bit better over the last three games. And get this: in their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Marks found success, like, *seriously* found success, running to the right side of the offensive line. We’re talking nearly 74% of his rushing yards over the past three games came on runs inside the right side or just straight up to the right. Those are the guys, Trent Brown at right tackle and Ed Ingram at right guard, who are the more experienced starters on that side. Offensive Coordinator Nick Caley swears he’s “not sitting there intentionally trying to run right every single time,” which, I mean, you gotta believe him, but the numbers don’t lie. That’s a huge tell about where they’re actually finding any traction.
But even when they do get it going, the big plays are just not happening. Marks’ longest run of the season so far is a measly 12 yards. Oof. And the kicker? He’s had *longer* runs called back by penalties. A 27-yard run against the Giants? Holding. A 24-yard touchdown against the Titans? Another holding call. Marks just put it best: “When you get them big runs and it finally opens up and you turn around and it’s a flag, it’s just like, dang.” You can practically feel the frustration. It’s not just him, either. The Texans’ longest run this entire season is 25 yards. You can’t win consistently in this league without some explosive runs, and right now, the Texans are totally missing them. They’ve got to clean up those penalties and find a way to let Marks actually break free if they want to get this run game off the ground, finally.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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