The Houston Texans got the ball back with 21 seconds at their own 38-yard line with three timeouts.
Jaguars interim coach Darrell Bevell decided to go for it on fourth-and-1, but quarterback Trevor Lawrence was unable to pick up the yardage on a sneak.
So many times the Texans had been in this position: time to put points on the board, and somehow the Texans found a way to flub it up.
The situation was harrowing nonetheless even with an established franchise quarterback. Houston would have to move about 30 yards in less than 30 less to give kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn a shot at a field goal.
Mills’ first pass was an easy 6-yarder to tight end Jordan Akins, which triggered the first timeout.
After an incomplete pass to running back Rex Burkhead, Mills hit receiver Brandin Cooks for a 12-yard gain on third-and-4 from Houston’s 44-yard line.
With seven seconds to go and a timeout left, at the Jaguars’ 44-yard line, the Texans gave Mills one more shot to pick up more yardage, and he delivered.
“That was awesome,” Mills said. “I felt like we kind of brought back some momentum going into half time. And our guys did a really good job of knowing the scenario in the game, knowing the situation.
And we just moved the ball down the field.”
Mills’ last pass was an 11-yard completion to receiver Chris Conley to the Jaguars’ 33-yard line. Houston called their last timeout to setup Fairbairn for a 51-yard field goal, and he connected. The Texans went into halftime up 20-10.
“That was a nice job of being able to navigate that and use our timeouts and put us in position to get that,” coach David Culley said. “I thought that was a big momentum change for us to be able to get that field goal.”
The rookie third-rounder from Stanford gave credit to his teammates and kicker.
Said Mills: “Our guys got down and we were able to bang out a couple timeouts and get into field goal range. Like you guys said, Ka’imi came in clutch and made a field goal before halftime.”
The Texans were able to come out of the locker room and force Jacksonville into a three-and-out en route to a 30-16 victory.
Houston’s last drive of the first half demonstrated high-level execution and situational awareness, two elements that have been lacking throughout the season. The drive, especially for a rookie like Mills, could be foundational in helping the offense take another step.