The latest news about Arian Forster is looking good for the Houston Texans. The running back has reportedly recovered enough to return to the field on Week 2, in time with the Texans' match against the Carolina Panthers on September 20. Given the way that the team began the 2015 season, Foster's comeback cannot come soon enough for Houston fans.
CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora wrote that the Texans player could return as soon as next weekend because he "has continued to tell teammates and friends that a return for Week 2 is quite possible." A game against the Panthers means that he will be facing Carolina's newly-paid star linebackers Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly.
The Texan's 29-year-old running back has been sidelined in the past month following a groin surgery. Forster, a four-time pro-bowler, already missed 11 games in the past two seasons due to injury. He was not originally expected to return until Week 8.
With Foster shelved in Week 1, the team have turned to fellow running backs Alfred Blue and Chris Polk to get the job done against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, their efforts seem to be not enough as the game ended with 27-20 in favor of the Chiefs.
Foster's return for Week 2 would be a massive boost for the Texans in facing a strong Panthers defense. Moreover, La Canfora added that a Week 3 return for the running back would be a "worst-case scenario."
The Texans will go up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3 on September 27 and before this report, it has always been thought that Week 3 would be the most likely day for Foster's reappearance. He is arguably one of the toughest players in the league and has consistently worked his way back from injuries quickly. For instance, he returned in time for the 2014 season even after suffering a major injury in 2013.
Apart from the upcoming Panthers match, the first truly notable game on the Texans' schedule is on October 8 against the Indianapolis Colts. That is on Week 5 and is marked as one of the much anticipated NFL matches for the current season. The two games against Indianapolis could decide which team will win the AFC South division, so the first game is extremely important for Houston to grab.
Arian Foster has rushed for over 6,300 yards and has scored 65 touchdowns in a span of six seasons in Houston. While La Canfora's report is promising, nothing has been set in stone yet regarding the player's status, but it looks like Alfred Blue, Jonathan Grimes and Chris Polk will be splitting backfield duties for at least another week if ever Foster is still not up for the task.
