Texans Desperately Need Dameon Pierce Rebound vs. Titans

With C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins both out, the time is now for Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce

Matt Galatzan | Dec 17, 2023

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Houston Texans

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce was arguably the team's best offensive player during his rookie season in 2022.

in 13 games, Pierce rushed 220 times for 939 yards and four scores, averaging 4.3 yards per carry with a 47.7 success rate. He also added 165 yards and a score through the passing game.

However, in 2023 that production has - for lack of a better term - fallen off a cliff, with Pierce sitting 44th in the NFL among running backs in success rate, and rushing for just 391 yards on 133 rushes, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry.

Not exactly the year he or anyone in the Texans organization had expected.

It's not all on him, either, with Houston's offensive line suffering constant injuries, and opponents stacking the box with more defenders vs. Pierce than any running back in the league not named Derrick Henry or Christian McCaffrey.

Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Calais Campbell (93) tackles Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce (31) during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. — Dameon Pierce / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

But with the Texans set to be without a majority of their top offensive weapons, including quarterback C.J. Stroud, and receivers Tank Dell and Nico Collins vs. the Tennessee Titans - in what is a critical AFC South matchup for their playoff hopes - Houston desperately needs Pierce to return to his 2022 form.

The matchup does potentially provide the recipe for that kind of success as well, with the Titans ranking in the middle of the pack in the NFL in rush defense.

In fact, last week in their narrow win over the Dolphins, the Miami tandem of Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane rushed for 143 yards and two scores on 28 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per rush.

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Can the Texans replicate that success? Maybe.

Devin Singletary has been a revelation for the Texans in the running game rushing for 590 yards and three scores on 4.2 yards per carry.

But with Case Keenum now under center for Houston, and the aforementioned top receiving weapons out, Singletary cannot carry the offense alone, and the Texans will desperately need Pierce to buck this season's trends, and breakthrough for a big game.

Published Dec 17, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com