MKRob Sports

There was no medical reason why Domenik Hixon couldn’t have been a bigger part of the passing game on Sunday. It was just “a coach’s decision” he said.

In other words, it seems clear that Hixon, while he was out with a sprained knee, has lost his starting job to Mario Manningham.

And he doesn’t really care.

“No, not at all,” Hixon said. “We want to win ball games. The thing is, this is a team concept that we have. Whether you start or not, you have a role and you’re expected to fill that role and do it to your best.”

Hixon had caught just two passes for 23 yards in the first two games before suffering a sprained knee. Even then, Manningham seemed to be flying past him on the depth chart after catching 13 passes for 208 yards through Week 2.

In the two weeks Hixon was out, Manningham only had five catches for 98 yards, and that included an ugly, drop-filled game at Kansas City. But Manningham started again against Oakland, despite Hixon’s return. And Hixon finished without having a single pass thrown his way, even though Manningham missed the second half with a bruised chest.

But again, Hixon didn’t seemed concerned with that apparent snub.

“You know what? We want to win ballgames,” he said. “However and whatever that takes.”