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DJ Bien-AimeESPN
HOUSTON -- “D.P. for president.”
Those are the words close tackle Tytus Howard and near tackle Laremy Tunsil said arsenic they sat broadside by broadside astatine their lockers aft the Houston Texans had won their archetypal crippled of the play Sunday.
“D.P.” stands for Dameon Pierce -- the Texans’ fourth-round prime retired of Florida past April who has helped revamp Houston's rushing attack. Pierce and the defence helped the Texans (1-3-1) sound disconnected the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3), 13-6.
Pierce rushed for 99 yards, and with the crippled knotted astatine 6-6, helium scored the game-winning touchdown with 3:11 to go.
Pierce is archetypal among rookies successful rushing yards (412) and touchdowns (three). But helium hasn’t lone been 1 of the apical rookie moving backs, he’s been 1 of the champion astatine the position. He’s presently 5th successful the NFL successful rushing.
The item play of Week 5 occurred with 5:02 remaining connected second-and-5 from the Jaguars' 22-yard line. After receiving the handoff from backmost Davis Mills, Pierce shed aggregate defenders en way to a 20-yard gain. He broke six tackles and ran for 22 yards aft interaction to get the Texans to the 2-yard enactment earlier scoring a fewer plays later.
During that large run, Pierce lone had 1 happening connected his mind: “Go, state boy, go."
"It’s each astir getting that touchdown," Pierce said. "I cognize I had them large boys coming defensively. They were going to rally down maine astatine immoderate point, truthful I tried to combat and get successful the extremity zone."
What was astir awesome astir Pierce’s show was during 22 of his 26 carries, helium faced a seven- oregon eight-man box. Those 22 carries were tied with New Orleans Saints moving backmost Alvin Kamara for the astir successful Week 5, and contempt the other assistance successful the box, Pierce inactive managed 78 yards.
Pierce’s aboriginal occurrence led Texans receiver Brandin Cooks to proclaim there’s “no question,” successful his mind, that his moving backmost is the person for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
But manager Lovie Smith took a antithetic approach.
“It’s a small early,” Smith said with a smile. “He’s a rookie, and he’s playing well. I haven’t seen each of the rookies retired there. I conscionable cognize that our rookie, we’ve loved him from the start. It’s not a bandwagon-type thing. We believed successful this feline and what helium tin do. He’s letting different radical benignant of spot it a small bit.
"Again, for america to beryllium talking that way, the violative enactment and the guys that are blocking for him, they person to beryllium doing their job. I conscionable cognize aft a 4th of football, we similar wherever helium is. Much much to go, but I similar the mode he’s trending.”
The mode the Texans violative attack is heading, Pierce is becoming the workhorse.
Over the past 3 games, Pierce has go the motor of a balanced attack. He’s averaging 20 carries per game, third-most successful the league implicit that span, portion backmost Davis Mills is averaging 30 walk attempts (20th).
“Anytime you got a moving backmost who tin tally the shot the mode that helium does, it opens up everything for your offense,” Cooks said.
Heading into their Week 6 bye, the Texans are presently tied for 22nd successful rushing yards per crippled (99.2) with the Los Angeles Chargers and fertile 26th successful passing yards (192).
Pierce's 4.8 yards per transportation has helped bolster a rushing onslaught that ranked 2nd to past successful 2020 (91 yards per game) and past successful 2021 (83 per game).
"That mentality that helium brings the vigor that helium brings, it's contagious. He’s ne'er done running," Cooks said. "Even erstwhile it looks a small muddy oregon immoderate the lawsuit whitethorn be, he’s capable to beauteous overmuch find a way.”
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