Joe Mixon has impressed fans with his play early in his Houston Texans tenure. While an illegal hip-drop tackle took him out of most of the Sunday Night Football matchup against the Chicago Bears, he debuted against the Indianapolis Colts and had one of his greatest games of all time. Showing a gear many of us wondered if he still, if ever, had.
He tore up one of the NFL's best-expected defenses, and in doing so, got some of the most positive attention of his career. Yet, going up against elite defensive units isn't new for Mixon. The former Cincinnati Bengals running back was a key player in the Bengals' success over the years, and he saw many top-flight NFL defenders because of it.
Yet, while speaking to Jordan Schultz and Draymond Green, Mixon put one future Hall of Famer over the rest. When asked who the most unstoppable defender that Mixon ever faced, the Houston Texans running back named former Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle, Aaron Donald.
Donald may just be the greatest defensive player of his era, so it makes total sense that Mixon would pick him, but the ironic thing is that the only player who could challenge him with any sincerity is J.J. Watt. Watt of course was a defensive end for the Houston Texans for most of his career, wracking up 101 sacks with the Texans (114.5 overall), three more than Donald's impressive 111.
Between 2012 and 2020, Watt and Donald combined for six Defensive Player of the Year Awards, with each man garnering three. So it makes total sense that Donald would be Mixon's pick, as he's truly one of the greats. It would be interesting to see where Mixon would rank Watt next to Donald.
It'll even be more interesting to see if Watt and Donald, now both retired, stay retired for long. Donald is only 33 and Watt has teased a comeback with the Texans. In a world far more fantastical than this, the Texans may convince not only Watt but Donald to unretire for one more shot at a Super Bowl trophy. Though, that's a pipe dream and we freely admit that.
