The Jaguars offense stopped running through Chris Ivory, and it proved costly

Is Chris Ivory back to full strength after missing a chunk of the season due to an undisclosed illness?

Yup. Could he do this if he wasn’t?

The tailback looked primed for a big performance in Week 10 after breaking out in the week prior. After gaining just 129 yards through the Jacksonville Jaguars’ first seven games, Ivory had a huge breakout game with an 18-carry, 107-yard performance against the Kansas City Chiefs last week.

Jacksonville followed that momentum by giving the bruising back just nine carries against the Houston Texans, allowing him to gain just 31 rushing yards.

In the early going, Ivory was the primary beneficiary of the Jaguars changing offensive coordinators in mid-season, firing Greg Olson. Nathaniel Hackett, the Jags’ interim offensive coordinator, initially recommitted the team to the run, ensuring Ivory would no longer be a forgotten piece of the Jacksonville offense.

At 6’0 tall and 224 pounds, Ivory has earned a reputation as a bruising runner in his seven seasons as a professional. He broke into the league’s consciousness as an undrafted free agent from Division II Tiffin University in 2010. He spent three seasons with the New Orleans Saints before developing into a fantasy football standby with the New York Jets in 2013.

Ivory gained 2,724 yards in three seasons in New York (4.3 yards per carry) before heading south to Jacksonville as a free agent last summer. On Sunday, he’ll face a Texans defense that has struggled to contain runners this fall. Houston has allowed almost 126 rushing yards per game (28th in the NFL) and 4.4 yards per attempt (24th).

The Texans needed to shut down the Jaguars on Sunday to stay on track for a playoff spot. But the limited Houston defense took advantage of mistakes made by Blake Bortles and held a lead all game, forcing Jacksonville to play from behind.