The Houston Texans have been without one key piece in their backfield for the last few weeks now–– and that's veteran running back David Montgomery, who's been sidelined since Week 5 with a lingering groin injury.

That absence from Montgomery has led to second-year runner Woody Marks to become the Texans' bona fide leader in the backfield throughout that time missed.

And in Week 9 against the Los Angeles Chargers, there's a decent chance that trend could continue within the Texans’ backfield, knowing that Montgomery could be set to miss more time.

The Latest on David Montgomery's Groin Injury

According to KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, while David Montgomery's rehab process from his groin injury is headed in the right direction, a return to the lineup is "not imminent."

#Texans running back David Montgomery is making progress from groin injury that has sidelined him past three games. While return isn't imminent, sources say rehab process headed in right direction.

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 2, 2026

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans noted on Monday that the team did not have a significant update on Montgomery's status, but expressed that he would be evaluated throughout the week ahead.

The Texans will have three practices this week before their matchup against the Chargers, where, if Montgomery is able to participate in limited or full capacity, Houston could give it a go with their veteran running back that they acquired earlier this offseason.

However, if Montgomery is sidelined for one more week as he continues to rehab from injury, that sets up Woody Marks to take advantage of another huge snap share.

Woody Marks' Usage While David Montgomery Has Been Out

Marks has been the leader in the Texans' backfield for three games now. So we now have a pretty good understanding about how Houston likes to operate in matchups where their run game is without his veteran counterpart in Montgomery.

Simply put: the Texans keep Marks on the field for an extended amount of time, and he gets virtually all of the carries in the backfield.

In each of the Texans' last three games, Marks has claimed at least 18 touches between his work on the ground and as a receiver. He's also taken at least 77% of Houston's total offensive snaps in each of those games.

That high usage of Marks shot up notably in their latest matchup against the New York Giants, where, without Jawhar Jordan in the lineup, Marks took on an impressive 88% of the Texans' offensive snaps.

Marks turned that opportunity in for over 20 touches and over 80 all-purpose yards. If he hadn’t left the field for an injury momentarily in the second half, those numbers would be even higher.

So if Montgomery is out for another game, and the Texans can take advantage of a poor opposing run defense, there's a better chance than not that Marks can have a strong performance.

And on paper, against the Chargers, this is a matchup that Houston and their improving rushing attack could easily expose.

How the Chargers' Run Defense Has Performed

Now, the Chargers certainly don't have the worst rushing defense in the NFL. Other areas of their team shape up to be much more pressing concerns. But it isn't a unit without its holes.

For one, teams run on the Chargers a lot. They're only one of two teams with an opposing run rate over 50%––the only other team being the Miami Dolphins. That's a result of being an 0-7 football team and facing multiple games in which the opposing offense is playing with a lead. 

But teams have also been pretty productive in that high dose of run plays. The Chargers are only one of three in the NFL to have allowed 11 or more rushing touchdowns on the season, have allowed the 10th-most rushing yards per game, and have the worst run-stuff rate in the league (11.8%).

If the Texans offense can get ahead early and lean on Marks to keep the chains moving offensively, they've got a good shot at winning this while also allowing their second-year runner to have a pretty big day in the process.

We'll see if that comes to fruition for the Texans, and helps them avoid becoming the Chargers' first victory on an otherwise dreary season.