Texans' Dameon Pierce: Still in backup role

Pierce rushed eight times for 16 yards, caught his lone target for five yards and returned one kickoff for 21 yards in Sunday's 26-3 win over the Titans.

Pierce's 12 offensive snaps remained firmly behind Devin Singletary's 38, and the latter had 16 carries and three targets. Since he returned from an ankle injury in Week 12, Pierce has had fewer snaps on offense in all six games, and it wasn't close in five of them -- Week 13 against Denver stands out as the last time Pierce's workload was on par with Singletary's. Noah Brown and Robert Woods sustained hip injuries Sunday, which could boost the importance of the Texans' running game in Week 18 against the Colts. The winner of that game qualifies for the postseason.