HOUSTON — The Texans will be without their leading rusher in Week 3 as running back Joe Mixon will not travel to face the Minnesota Vikings.

Mixon suffered an ankle injury in what appeared to be an illegal hip-drop tackle during the Texans’ 19-13 Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears. The injury occurred with 11:57 remaining in the third quarter when Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud completed a pass to Mixon, who was running along the sideline before being taken down by Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards. The officials did not penalize Edwards and Mixon left the game briefly before returning.

Mixon finished the game with 11 carries for 25 yards, but ranks seventh in the NFL in rushing yards (184) on the season. The Texans will also be without backup running back Dameon Pierce, who also missed Week 2 with a hamstring injury.

Cam Akers is expected to receive the bulk of the carries for the Texans. Akers played for the Vikings in 2023 after being traded from the Los Angeles Rams last September. His season was cut short after he suffered a torn left Achilles tendon in Week 9.

Last week, Akers faced Mixon while injured and rushed for 32 yards on seven attempts, so the coaching staff is confident he can handle the workload.

“He’s got great vision. He’s run — ran the zone scheme where he came from — he did the same thing in Minnesota,” Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said Thursday. “He’s really good at reading that, we call it riding the wave, finding the right hole to hit. He always plays with control. When he sees it, he hits it. He finishes it physically. And he’s got really good contact balance and I would say those are the things that stand out about Cam.”