Foreman hits roadblock after hitting stride
When rookie running back D’Onta Foreman grabbed the back of his left leg Sunday in the end zone after rupturing his Achilles tendon, it ended his season and delivered a blow to the Texans’ running game.
Foreman, a third-round pick from Texas, was just beginning to hit stride, scoring the first two touchdowns of his NFL career in the 10th game of the season during a win over the Arizona Cardinals as he gained 65 yards on 10 carries.
The Texans had hoped to continue to expand his role and will now need to make contingency plans. They’ll lean even more heavily on veteran starter Lamar Miller to handle the bulk of the workload.
“D’Onta was really starting to play well obviously in that game,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “He was really starting to understand our offense.
“It’s one of those things. It’s tough for him. He’s a young player. He’ll be back.”
Foreman finished the season with 327 yards on 78 carries. He also caught six passes for 83 yards. The Texans are expected to eventually make a roster move to add depth to the backfield when they place Foreman on injured reserve as he’ll need to undergo surgery.
The Texans are optimistic that Alfred Blue will be able to step in as the backup to Miller. Blue missed Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, but he is expected to return to practice this week.
Blue has rushed for 43 yards on 13 carries this season in limited action as Foreman had supplanted him on the depth chart. The Texans also have Jordan Todman on the active roster, but he’s only been used on special teams as a returner.
“I do expect Alfred to be back,” O’Brien said. “Hopefully, Alfred will come back here and be able to practice this week and help us. In practice and on special teams, he’s done a really good job for us when he’s been healthy.”
Offensive line has good day
Shoving back the Arizona Cardinals’ front seven during a heavyduty red-zone formation, Texans left guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, left tackle Chris Clark and Kendall Lamm cleared a pathway for rookie running back D’Onta Foreman on Sunday.
They created a big enough gap for him to rumbled into the end zone for the game-winning score in a game the Texans rushed for 134 yards on 34 carries and allowed quarterback Tom Savage to be sacked only once as he threw two touchdown passes. It was a dramatically upgraded performance by the line.
“I thought the offensive line did a good job, some good moments in protection, very consistent protection,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “Tom was able to make some good throws because of the protection. I thought the offensive line played well, no doubt about it.”
The Texans’ offensive line has drawn plenty of criticism this season, but this was one of their better games in several weeks. Savage had plenty of time, and the running game was more physical.
“It felt great,” Su’a-Filo said. “That’s part of doing our job up front is making sure we’re pounding away in the run game. That’s like a dream for us to pound the rock. It’s awesome.”
Fuller’s status still unclear
Texans receiver Will Fuller’s status is still being figured out for Monday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Fuller is recovering from a cracked rib and was sidelined Sunday against the Cardinals.
Coach Bill O’Brien was noncommittal on whether Fuller will play Monday.
Meanwhile, cornerback Kevin Johnson is in the NFL concussion protocol after suffering a head injury Sunday.
Pleasant comes through
A reserve safety and special-teams contributor, Eddie Pleasant had a clutch interception against Cardinals quarterback Blaine Gabbert on Sunday.
Pleasant also had three tackles and two passes defended. He had two sacks earlier this season in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
“Eddie for the years we’ve been here, he’s made some big plays on defense,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “The role he plays, whether it’s covering tight ends or backs out of the backfield or blitzing, wherever he is, Eddie comes up with a big play. He had a huge interception.”
The Texans yielded three touchdown passes to Gabbert, but they figured him out late and intercepted him twice.
“We got our hands on a couple of balls early in the game and didn’t capitalize,” Pleasant said. “The D-line did a good job getting pressure on him and that helped us out a lot.”