With 11:57 left in the third quarter, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud completed a pass to Mixon, who ran up the sidelines before he was brought down by Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards using what appeared to be the now banned swivel hip-drop tackle.

The refs did not penalize Edwards as Mixon got up limping and hobbled to the sidelines before entering the medical blue tent. He went to the locker room for further treatment on the ankle before re-entering the game with 50 seconds left in the third quarter.

Mixon took only seven snaps following his return and had only one carry for 1 yard before being tackled again by Edwards. He finished the night with 9 carries for 25 yards.

Mixon did not speak to reporters after the game but let his feelings be known in back-to-back posts on X.

"The NFL and NFLPA made it a rule and an emphasis for a reason," Mixon wrote shortly after the game ended. "Time to put your money where your mouth is."

In a follow-up post, Mixon said when he got up he asked the official, "Where is the flag? That was a hip tackle," to which the ref replied, "No it wasn't."

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said the play where Mixon injured his ankle "didn't look good" from his view, but that he would have to see the film to determine if it was a hip-drop tackle.

"Joe got rolled up. The guy's weight definitely came down on his ankle," Ryans said. "We'll evaluate Joe throughout the week. Hopefully he's OK."

The league in March approved a rule proposal to ban the swivel hip-drop tackle, a rugby tackling style that has caused mainly lower leg injuries in recent years. According to NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller, last year there were 230 plays where the hip drop was used to bring down a ball carrier, resulting in 15 players missing time.

The violation would have resulted in a 15-yard penalty had it been called on Edwards' tackle of Mixon.