Even though the Houston Texans were down 21-10 at the New York Giants, they had an moment for optimism.
On a second-and-25 from the New York 29, quarterback Davis Mills threw it away when he tossed an interception gathered by defensive back Dane Belton. Mills was unable to connect with wideout Phillip Dorsett, and the Giants erased a chance for Houston to end the drive in points.
Following the 24-16 loss on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, Mills met with reporters and acknowledged that his turnover was “very critical.”
“Not coming away from that drive with points is big,” Mills said. “It changed from maybe worst-case scenario getting a field goal there, that allows us to go down that next drive and it be a one possession game so it’s tough.”
The second-year signal caller, who completed his 20th NFL start, took ownership of how he needs to proceed going forward when the team is able to penetrate the red zone.
“I’ve got to be smarter with the ball there,” said Mills. “We’re second and twenty-five, we don’t need it all back at once, trying to score. I can find the check down on that and get ourselves into a third down situation still in the red zone with a lot of plays at our disposal, so I’ve just got to continue protecting the ball and be better in that way.”
Mills will have another shot to learn from his mistakes as the 1-7-1 Texans look to snap their four-game losing streak with a home showdown with Washington in Week 11 at NRG Stadium.