Joe Mixon has angry reaction to his injury absence

Aug 12, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (28) walks onto the field prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon appears set to play Sunday for the first time since Week 2, but he is still stewing a bit over his injury and the cause of it.

Mixon returned to practice Thursday, albeit on a limited basis, for the first time since suffering an ankle injury against the Chicago Bears. The Texans running back suffered the injury on a hip-drop tackle, which the NFL banned in the offseason.

Asked how tough he found it to miss multiple games due to the injury, Mixon did not hold back.

“What you think?” Mixon said, via Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle. “You got to think, I was No. 1 in the league in rushing. I want to be out there. Obviously I was stopped because of that weak a– hip-drop tackle. I can’t do nothing about that.”

Mixon has been very angry with the NFL over the tackle that led to his injury, which went unpunished during the game. Given that, it is tough to blame him.

The Texans will want to see what their offense is capable of with Mixon healthy. In his first game of the season, he ran for 159 yards, then got hurt in Week 2.