In the midst of the Houston Texans' Week 6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, this offense wound up having a lot more success running the ball than they've been accustomed to over the past several weeks.
Behind the duo of Woody Marks and Jawhar Jordan in the backfield, the Texans combined for 114 rushing yards, had over 4.5 yards per carry, and thus came out to their most productive game on the ground so far this year in terms of numbers.
And such a result came as a bit of a surprise for the Texans, all things considered. Houston was going up against statistically the best run defense in the entire NFL in Jacksonville heading into the week, and oddly saw things click in that area of their offense after consistently struggling beforehand.
The most noteworthy part of it all? Houston made it happen without the presence of their starting running back, David Montgomery, on the field, who was sidelined with a groin injury he suffered in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans.
And so such a performance from the Texans' run game begs one key question: is this run game better off without Montgomery leading the way in snaps?
Should the Texans Pivot Off of David Montgomery?
Through the first five games of Montgomery's debut season in Houston, things haven't quite panned out as highly expected, especially following up from his Week 1 breakout with a three-touchdown performance.
He's logged 52 carries for 138 yards (2.7 yards per carry), coming out to under 30 yards on the ground per game, and has paired that with under 2.0 yards before and after contact for only the second time in his career. Receiving-wise, he hasn't been much of a factor, with just seven catches for 67 yards.
And based on the initial investment the Texans made in Montgomery earlier this offseason, the results are quite the disappointment. Montgomery was brought in to be a stabilizer for Houston's run game as a power back and complement to Woody Marks. But outside of his debut against the Buffalo Bills, he's been anything but that.
Montgomery hasn't looked anywhere close to the most explosive back in the backfield, has lacked any sense of efficiency in the opportunities he's gotten, and is now dealing with a groin injury that could continue to sideline him for another week, depending on how this coming week of practice goes.
Now, the offensive line certainly hasn't done Montgomery any favors when he's been on the field. But we've seen just as recently as last week that the Texans are capable of having effective days on the ground, even against one of the most challenging run defenses around the NFL in Jacksonville.
Woody Marks, on the other hand, has put together 205 total yards on the ground with an average of 3.5 yards per carry, and is now only one touchdown away from matching Montgomery's season total of three. He's looked explosive, has contributed in the passing game, and is now coming off his best game of the season thus far from Houston's overseason trip to London.
— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026
Jawhar Jordan, the Texans' practice squad elevation from this past week, took advantage of his opportunities against Jacksonville as well. He went for six carries and 43 yards with a touchdown, and has certainly made a good case to jump onto the 53-man roster, especially if Houston wants to steer away from incorporating Montgomery as a key piece of their game plan.
So should the Texans decide to turn away from Montgomery as the leader in the backfield once he's back? That's certainly not out of the question, but it still might be a little too early.
The Verdict: Don't Sell Your Stock, But Heed Caution
Maybe it's only a matter of time before Montgomery gets uprooted from his spot atop the Texans' running back depth chart. If things continue to trend like they looked in Week 6, Houston will have no choice but to keep handing Marks (and maybe even Jordan) more opportunities.
But that time might not be now––at least not until Montgomery is fully healthy from the injury that's kept him out of the lineup for the past week. Once he's back to 100%, whenever that might be, he can try to re-establish his footing as the veteran power back the Texans tried to add to their offense in the first place.
However, if there's any event that the Texans' run game continues to keep flowing at its best for another week if Montgomery is sidelined, or if things simply look groggy in the run game once he returns, the conversation's going to get a whole lot more interesting.
And if that's the case, that move the Texans made to first bring in Montgomery for a fourth-round pick and Juice Scruggs will only look uglier than it looks now. So the Texans are certainly hoping their veteran back can turn a positive corner once he's off the injury report.
Add us as a preferred source on Google