Texans Playmaker Achieves Major Career Milestone in Win Over Titans

This surprising Houston Texans playmaker set a major career milestone against the Tennessee Titans in the season finale.

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce (31) runs in a touchdown past Tennessee Titans safety Mike Brown (44) during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Houston Texans defeated the Tennessee Titans by a score of 23-14 in their regular-season finale on Sunday, and an unexpected source powered the victory.

That surprising boost came from running back Dameon Pierce, who racked up a career-high 176 rushing yards on 19 carries. He also scored a 92-yard touchdown in the affair.

Pierce's previous career high was 139 yards, which he achieved back in 2022.

The craziest part about Pierce's massive game is that he entered Week 18 having toted the football just 21 times for 117 yards and a score throughout the entire season.

Pierce, who played his collegiate football at the University of Florida, was selected by the Texans in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

The 24-year-old enjoyed an impressive rookie campaign, racking up 939 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 4.3 yards per carry. He also caught 30 passes for 165 yards and a score.

Then, last year, Pierce took a major step back, finishing with only 416 yards while reaching the end zone a couple of times. He logged a paltry 2.9 yards per attempt and lost his starting job to Devin Singletary midseason.

Pierce entered 2024 as Houston's second-string halfback behind workhorse Joe Mixon, who got most of the day off against the Titans.

While Sunday's performance probably won't earn Pierce a heck of a lot more playing time in the postseason, it's still good to see that the third-year playmaker has some juice.

The Texans finished the regular season with a record of 10-7.