Texans Hit With RB Injury Before Playoffs

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The Houston Texans could be without one notable part of their running back room for the foreseeable future of their looming playoff run following a recent injury suffered during Week 18 against the Indianapolis Colts.
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, Texans running back Jawhar Jordan suffered a high ankle sprain against the Colts during the final week of the regular season, which eventually took him off the field for the remainder of the game, and now leaves his recovery timetable undetermined moving forward.
"Texans running back Jawhar Jordan suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Colts on an apparent hip drop tackle Sunday, testing showed, per a league source. Recovery time is undetermined. Primary back for Texans is Woody Marks, depth Nick Chubb, Dare Ogunbowale and British Brooks."
#Texans running back Jawhar Jordan suffered a high-ankle sprain against the #Colts on an apparent hip drop tackle Sunday, testing showed, per a league source. Recovery time is undetermined. @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 8, 2026
Primary back for Texans is Woody Marks, depth Nick Chubb, Dare Ogunbowale and…
The Texans' next game, and their first of a hopeful playoff run, will come during MNF against the Pittsburgh Steelers, providing an extra day of recovery for those around the roster. However, with a high ankle sprain being the designation for Jordan, that could force him out for the action at least one week, and possibly more.
Texans Could Be Without RB Jawhar Jordan vs. Steelers
Jordan turned out to be a pleasant surprise in the Texans backfield during the second half of the season, most notably in his breakout game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15.
In that breakout, that just so happened to be his official NFL debut after being elevated from the practice squad. He had 15 attempts for 101 total yards on the ground along with two catches for 17 yards, making him the first Texans running back this season to have over 100 rushing yards in a single game.

On the season, Jordan played in four games to rush 43 times for 193 yards, quietly finding his way into a consistent depth role in the Texans' running back rotation.
However, he now could be down for at least one week, and possibly more, leaving the Texans forced to pivot in the backfield against the Steelers and beyond.
Without Jordan, the Texans' running back room will be left down to four names: Woody Marks, depth Nick Chubb, Dare Ogunbowale, and British Brooks. Marks has made his way into becoming Houston's bellcow running back when he's healthy and on the field, emerging as one of the team's standout performers of their rookie class, initially coming in as a fourth-round selection.
But now, the carries behind Marks, without Jordan, will likely be distributed between the duo of captain Dare Ogunbowale, as well as veteran Nick Chubb, who's logged 500 yards this season himself through 15 games played.
It's worth noting that Chubb, during the Texans' last game of the regular season vs. the Colts, was eventually deemed a healthy scratch, which might not be his same fate against the Steelers for MNF, but remains a situation worth keeping an eye on. If he's out of Houston's offensive game plan, the route could be cleared for a one-two punch of Marks and Ogunbowale in the backfield for the next few games.
In due time, more intel will come to light about Jordan's injury, and just how long his timeline back to the field might be. But for now, expect him to miss some time.
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Jared Koch is the Deputy Editor of Houston Texans On SI and has covered the NFL since 2023. Jared is a graduate of Western Kentucky University. His works have also appeared on MSN, Yahoo, and Bleacher Report.