Tag: davis mills

Could the Texans use QBs Davis Mills, Jeff Driskel together going forward?

The Houston Texans used both Davis Mills and Jeff Driskel at quarterback against the Dallas Cowboys. Will this be the status quo going forward?

The Houston Texans announced in the middle of last week they would start Davis Mills at quarterback against the Dallas Cowboys.

Technically, the Texans did have Mills as their starting quarterback, but he split significant time with backup Jeff Driskel with both signal callers rotating in and out during series.

Aside from an interception thrown on the last play of the 27-23 loss in a Hail Mary attempt, Mills had one of his more efficient games of the season, going 16-21 for 175 yards and not getting sacked once. Driskel went 4-6 through the air for 38 yards and a touchdown while also avoiding sacks.

Coach Lovie Smith was pleased with the production from the uncommon duo.

“Really, as we go back and look at it a little bit, [Driskel] did some good things in the preseason early on,” Smith told reporters after the game. “That plan kind of got us out of it a little bit when we couldn’t elevate him and some things like that, but he’s always been there.

“As you see, the most productive day we’ve had offensively. I know what the points said but we felt like we could move the ball and mix in a combination of the two.”

Driskel provided seven carries for 36 yards. Houston generated 327 yards total offense, their first producing 300 yards total since Week 10.

Should the Texans decide to stay with Mills and Driskel as their quarterbacks, the two have decent off-field cohesion that it shouldn’t disrupt the offense.

“He wants to win the game, I want to win the game,” Driskel said.

According to Driskel, offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton puts the Texans in “positions to make plays that best suit our strengths.”

Said Driskel: “We’ve got a great room and we’ve just got to continue to get better.”

Houston falls to 1-11-1 on the year. The Texans are 0-6 in games where they generate 300 yards or more.

Jerry Jones says Cowboys ‘almost lost the game’ against the Texans

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says his team nearly lost the game against the Houston Texans in Week 14.

The Houston Texans had outplayed the Dallas Cowboys for 56 minutes.

However, an NFL game is a 60-minute affair and the Texans weren’t able to hold on for the final four minutes Sunday afternoon at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

The Cowboys mounted a 98-yard drive in 11 plays to reclaim the lead and beat Houston 27-23 in Week 14.

Cowboys owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones was impressed with the game plan Houston used, especially their platooning at quarterback with Davis Mills and Jeff Driskel.

“I think their quarterback play, the way they deployed their quarterbacks, the way they basically were committed there to stop that run and could stop the run, did stop the run and then to push us into making some throws that maybe we’d like to have back.”

Mills completed 16 passes on 21 attempts for 175 yards and an interception, which occurred on the last play of the game as a Hail Mary attempt. Driskel went 4-of-6 for 38 yards and a touchdown while also carrying seven times for 36 yards.

The Texans’ defense and special teams procured three takeaways and scored 14 points off Dallas’ mistakes. Cornerback Tremon Smith picked off quarterback Dak Prescott twice as the two-time Pro Bowler went 24-of-39 for 284 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.

“I don’t want to spend too much time on that, but they were well schemed and we almost lost the game,” Jones said. “To our team’s credit and Dak’s, that 98-yard drive had everything going for them to win that ball game and we won. I give Dak a lot of credit for that 98 yard drive, to be trite.”

After the Texans turned the ball over on downs following a first-and-goal from the Cowboys’ 4-yard line, Dallas got it back with 3:20 to go in the game.

Texans QB Davis Mills says he ‘played well for the most part’ against the Cowboys

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills believes he performed well enough against the Dallas Cowboys in the 27-23 loss in Week 14.

The Houston Texans went back with Davis Mills as their starting quarterback.

Despite the Texans going 1-8-1 with Mills to start their first 10 games, the two games with Kyle Allen produced dismal results as Houston went 0-2 and committed eight total turnovers in that span.

With the second-year signal caller back in the lineup against the Dallas Cowboys, Mills went 16-of-21 for 175 yards and an interception, the result of a Hail Mary attempt on the last play of the game.

Mills gave himself a passing grade following the 27-23 loss at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

“I played well for the most part,” Mills said. “Obviously, I want to go back and see a couple of things, but there might have only really been one throw that I missed to my standards, that was that slant to the middle of the field to [Phillip] Dorsett on maybe third-and-8 the first half.”

Mills pass for Dorsett fell incomplete and the Texans had to punt. However, Houston’s defense intercepted quarterback Dak Prescott and gave the offense a chance to drive for points as quarterback Jeff Driskel threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to receiver Amari Rodgers to take a 17-14 lead.

The Stanford product would get his chance for points to end the first half as he led Houston on a five-play, 43-yard scoring drive that ended with kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn drilling a 50-yard field goal to give Houston a 20-17 lead at the break.

“Other than that, I thought we played a clean game offensively,” Mills said. “I’ve just got to try to find a way to get the ball to end zone on that red zone series when the defense gave us the ball back late in the game.”

Mills incidentally was not on the field during Houston’s penultimate possession when they faced a first-and-goal from the Cowboys’ 4-yard line after cornerback Tremon Smith’s second interception of Prescott. All of it was Driskel’s doing as the Texans were turned over on downs two yards short of the goal.

Texans decided to use QB Jeff Driskel early in the week prepping for the Cowboys

Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith says the plan early in the week was to use QB Jeff Driskel against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Houston Texans made it known Wednesday they were going to go with Davis Mills as their starting quarterback against the Dallas Cowboys.

However, the Texans deployed a unique strategy under center in the 27-23 loss to the Cowboys Sunday afternoon during Week 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

The Texans used backup Jeff Driskel for a total of 13 snaps as the dual threat quarterback completed 4-6 for 38 yards and a touchdown while also rushing seven times for 36 yards.

Coach Lovie Smith told reporters after the game that the move was made to provide a “spark” and that there were plans to have Driskel see significant time during their prep work early in the week.

“I thought Davis did some good change passing the football, made some good throws today,” Smith said. “Made some good decisions today. I liked things he did. And the combination with Jeff Driskel. Early in the week we decided to go with this plan to use Jeff. I thought he did some good things, too.”

Driskel, who was a standard elevation from the practice squad the day before, was pleased to have an impact on offense.

“That was something that we worked on all week,” Driskel said. “A nice little package for me in there. I was excited to get out there and help the team win and obviously it was not what we wanted to do at the end of the game.”

The Texans were facing a fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line with 3:25 to go in the game, Houston leading 23-20. Driskel kept the ball on the run-pass option and rushed for a 1-yard gain, but caused a turnover on downs. The Cowboys drove 98 yards to score the go-ahead touchdown and ultimately prevail 27-23.

“We’ve just got to execute a few more times and punch the ball in the end zone,” said Driskel. “But it was good to get back in the game.”

Texans vs. Cowboys live blog: 27-23 Cowboys, FINAL

The Houston Texans take on the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14. Follow along for all of the action from AT&T Stadium.

The Houston Texans take on the Dallas Cowboys. Kickoff is at 12:00 p.m. Central Time from AT&T Stadium and can be viewed on FOX. Check local listings.

Houston is going with Davis Mills at quarterback after seeing enough of the Kyle Allen spark movement the past two weeks. An 0-2 record and eight total turnovers was enough.

The Cowboys are coming off a 54-19 thrashing of the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football. They also have the Jacksonville Jaguars next week on the road. Could the Texans catch the Cowboys in a trap game?

The Cowboys are already having injury concerns as starting safety Jayron Kearse was helped to the locker room during pregame warmups.

It appears Kearse came back.

First quarter

15:00 — Dallas gets the ball to start the game.

13:46 — LB Christian Harris is down and being tended to by trainers. Harris pops up to his feet.

11:25 — RB Tony Pollard rushes for an 11-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. 7-0, Cowboys

9:11 — WR KaVontae Turpin muffed the punt and LB Blake Cashman recovered at the Dallas 24-yard line.

5:36 — RB Dameon Pierce rushes for a 1-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. 7-7

4:20 — The Texans managed to turn the Cowboys three-and-out.

2:41 — Mills throws a nine-route to WR Chris Moore and it appears complete in Cowboys territory. The Cowboys throw the challenge flag. The ruling on the field stands.

0:37 — G Kenyon Green is helped by trainers and goes to the sideline under his own power.

0:22 — Houston settles for a K Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal. 10-7, Texans

 

Second quarter

14:55 — On a third-and-12 from the Dallas 23, QB Dak Prescott flips the field with a 51-yard pass to WR Noah Brown.

12:34 — Prescott throws a 10-yard touchdown on a swing pass on the left side to a wide open Pollard. Extra point is good. 14-10, Cowboys

9:09 — The Texans are going with a strange platooning with Mills and QB Jeff Driskel, who picks up seven yards on a third-and-2 from the Houston 44-yard line.

6:22 — On fourth-and-a-long-2 from the Cowboys’ 42-yard line, Pierce is just an inch short. Turnover on downs.

5:28 — The Texans defense manages to turn the Cowboys three-and-out as Prescott throws a swing pass to the left for Pollard, who catches it, but falls down for a 6-yard gain on third-and-10 from the Dallas 40.

3:57 — Mills throws an incomplete pass looking for WR Phillip Dorsett on a third-and-8 from their own 23-yard line. Houston goes three-and-out.

3:18 — WR Noah Brown has a Prescott pass fly off his hands and into the air. CB Tremon Smith picks it off and returns it to the Cowboys’ 27-yard line.

2:30 — Driskel rolls to the right and at the last second heaves it for WR Amari Rodgers, who catches a 28-yard touchdown. 17-14, Cowboys

0:44 — K Brett Maher kicks a 33-yard field goal. 17-17

0:02 — Houston actually manages to get Fairbairn in field goal range, who boots a 50-yard field goal. 20-17, Texans

 

Halftime

Stats

TEXANS

Mills: 9/11, 93 yards

Driskel: 2/2, 33 yards, TD; 3 carries, 15 yards

Pierce: 15 carries, 40 yards, TD

Moore: 5 catches, 64 yards

 

COWBOYS

Prescott: 13/23, 158 yards, TD, INT

Pollard: 6 catches, 37 yards, TD; 3 catches, 14, yards, TD

Brown: 3 catches, 67 yards

 

Third quarter

13:19 — Pierce fumbles on a first-and-10 from the Houston 37-yard line. CB Trevon Diggs recovers and returns to the Texans’ 28-yard line. Texas A&M product, S Donovan Wilson, forced the fumble.

8:23 — On fourth-and-goal from the Texans’ 1-yard line, RB Ezekiel Elliott is stuffed for a 2-yard loss. Turnover on downs.

3:03 — Fairbairn hits a 54-yard field goal. 23-17, Texans

Fourth quarter

14:54 — Maher kicks a 53-yard field goal. 23-20, Texans

14:13 — Pierce was held for a 1-yard gain on second-and-8 from the Houston 27. Pierce rolled over onto his back and needed help from trainers.

13:37 — Mills can’t complete a pass to Moore on third-and-7 from the Texans’ 28-yard line. Houston goes three-and-out.

12:22 — The Texans manage to turn the Cowboys three-and-out.

8:08 — The Texans’ productive drive ends in a punt, but P Cam Johnston’s boot pins Dallas at their own 1-yard line.

5:37 — Smith gets his second interception of the day as he picks Prescott again.

3:25 — On a fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line, Driskel gains just a yard. Turnover on downs.

2:21 — Prescott hits Elliott for six yards on first-and-10 from the Dallas 45. Two minute warning.

0:46 — Elliott rushes for a 2-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. 27-23, Cowboys

0:35 — Mills hits Moore at the Cowboys’ 44-yard line for 31 yards.

0:14 — Two consecutive false starts back up Houston to their own 46-yard line. Mills then heaves a Hail Mary that is picked off by S Israel Mukuamu.

0:00 — Cowboys take a knee. Houston falls to 1-11-1.

 

Injuries

13:46, 1st Quarter — LB Christian Harris was down and tended to by trainers. Houston used their first timeout. Harris popped up to his feet. Harris returned to the game the next play.

0:37, 1st Quarter — G Kenyon Green is helped by trainers, but walks to the sideline under his own power. Green was questionable to return in the second quarter, but managed to come back with 5:00 to go until halftime.

5:00, 2nd Quarter — CB Steven Nelson left the game and was questionable with an ankle injury. Nelson was later downgraded to out.

14:13, 4th Quarter — Pierce was held for a 1-yard gain on second-and-8 from the Houston 27. Pierce rolled over onto his back and needed help from trainers. Pierce was later ruled questionable to return with an ankle injury.

Texans Wire Countdown to Cowboys: 10 factors to watch in Week 14

The Houston Texans take on the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14. Here are 10 factors to keep an eye on throughout the game.

WHEN: 12:00 p.m. CT

WHERE: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

FORECAST: Cloudy, 56 degrees, 4 mph winds (indoors)

FOLLOW: @therealmarklane, @bigsargesportz, @texans_thoughts, @johnhcrumpler @thetexanswire

LISTEN: Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] and 100.3 The Bull [KLOL]

WATCH: FOX (Kevin Kugler & Mark Sanchez)

RED — Philadelphia at NY Giants

BLUE — Houston at Dallas

GREEN — Minnesota at Detroit

GRAY — No game due to black imposed by Tennessee Titans

Source: 506 Sports

Texans WR Brandin Cooks considered a ‘declining star’

Houston Texans wideout Brandin Cooks is considered a “declining star” in a latest article from ESPN.

The drop off for Brandin Cooks has been staggering.

The 29-year-old receiver has 44 catches for 520 yards and a touchdown through 10 games, all of which he has started. Cooks’ yards per game are down significantly from 64.8 to 52.0.

Ostensibly the Houston Texans’ passing attack was supposed to be better with Davis Mills getting all of the first-team reps going back to offseason workouts. However, the Texans have been among the worst in the NFL, ranking 27th in passing offense.

According to Seth Walder from ESPN, Cooks made their list as one of five “declining stars” in the 2022 season.

Cooks’ decline has been apparent in his production numbers. He dropped from 2.3 and 2.4 yards per route run in 2020 and 2021, respectively, to 1.8 this year. His fantasy managers are likely aware of the lack of production.

Could this just be the Davis Mills/Kyle Allen effect? The Receiver Tracking Metrics — which attempt to isolate receiver performance from the quarterback — suggest, no. There is more to it than deficient quarterback play.

Over the past three years, Cooks’ Overall Score has dropped from 67 in 2020 to 60 in 2021 to 37 in 2022. The drop-off has been across the board: Cooks’ Open Score/Catch Score/YAC Score triple-slash currently sits at 52/38/31, the lowest scores in his three seasons in Houston.

While Mills surely has had a negative impact on Cooks’ traditional box score statistics, Cooks also played with him for much of last season. Cooks has long been a steady and underrated performer but might be starting to slow down at age 29.

Cooks won’t be present in Week 14 as he will miss with a calf injury. The last time Cooks missed two games or more in a regular season was in 2019, his final year with the Los Angeles Rams. Cooks had a down year with 42 catches for 583 yards and two touchdowns as the Rams finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs.

Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones not taking Texans lightly

Dallas Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones says the team is not taking the 1-10-1 Houston Texans lightly in Week 14.

Stephen Jones was there on Sept. 8, 2002, at Reliant Stadium.

The expansion Houston Texans beat his Dallas Cowboys 19-10 on ESPN Sunday Night Football as Space City inaugurated a new era of having an NFL franchise. Even though the Cowboys were amid a three-season stretch of finishing 5-11, they weren’t supposed to lose to an expansion team in its first game.

“I think that’s why you don’t take any team for granted,” Jones told “GBag Nation” on 105.3 “The Fan” [KRLD-FM] in Dallas-Fort Worth Friday. “They pay their guys, too. They have really good football players on their team.”

Twenty years later the Texans are roughly in the same spot, although the term for an existing franchise starting from the ground up is “rebuilding.” The Cowboys are in a much better place than the turn of the millennium with a 9-3 record and chasing a playoff spot.

Nevertheless Jones remembers the lesson from 2002 and isn’t counting the Texans out.

“Lovie [Smith] is not by any means a rookie, but he’s coaching, as head coach, the Texans for the first time,” Jones said. “He’s a great football coach. He’s had a lot of success in this league. I’m sure he’s working through like all coaches who get their hand on a team, changing the culture and doing it the way he wants to do it. There’s growing pains.”

The Texans will be turning to second-year quarterback Davis Mills to lead the charge again after giving Kyle Allen two games under center. Mills was benched for his 1-8-1 record and 78.1 passer rating while conducting an otherwise ineffective offense.

Said Jones: “They got really good football players and it blows my mind people think we’re going to roll the ball out there and we’re going to come away with a win. This is going to be highly competitive, and if we don’t play our very best football, then we’ll end up not getting the results we want. We got to go out there and play really well, and I know the Texans are going to improve.”

Houston kicks off against Dallas Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time from AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Texans QB Davis Mills reveals who supported him while on the bench for two weeks

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills shared who supported him while he was sitting behind Kyle Allen for the past two weeks.

Davis Mills is a very realistic person.

Whether it is the product of his Stanford education or what he learned at Greater Atlanta Christian School or even earlier, the Houston Texans quarterback has been known for his levelheaded approach to the NFL since being taken in Round 3 of the 2021 NFL draft.

“You can only really deal with what’s in your future rather than what’s in your past,” Mills told reporters Thursday. “Take it one step at a time, and the process is the same. Like I said, the preparation is the same. I was just waiting for my next opportunity to get out here.”

Mills sat the past two weeks behind Kyle Allen. The Texans were struggling at 1-8-1 were coming off a hideous offensive performance against Washington in Week 11 wherein Houston generated 148 yards of total offense. Mills was not separating himself from the problems that were costing Houston games with his 78.1 passer rating. A change at quarterback was seen as a possible spark to get the offense going.

Instead Houston went 0-2 with Allen and produced eight turnovers. The offense didn’t catch a spark at all.

When Mills was named the starter Dec. 7, the Texans maintained their support and confidence of the second-year signal caller.

“It’s great when you have a lot of trust in your teammates, and they have trust in you,” said Mills. “That’s what it takes to win football games. I’m still a very confident football player. I didn’t lose any confidence in these two weeks, and I’m excited to get out there on Sunday.”

While Mills spent a fortnight on the bench, the 24-year-old revealed who was supported him during that span.

Said Mills: “I have a bunch of teammates who reached out. A big thing was my girlfriend and my family. They’ve been watching me play football my whole life, and they know I’m a good player. I know I’m a good player. Just them instilling that confidence in me was huge, so I’m just excited for my next opportunity, which is this week.”

The Texans get back in action against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Texans QB Davis Mills says sitting behind Kyle Allen allowed him to learn

Houston Texans QB Davis Mills says sitting behind Kyle Allen the past two weeks gave him a front row seat to learning more about the position.

HOUSTON — Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills spoke for the first time to reporters since he was replaced by backup Kyle Allen two weeks ago by head coach Lovie Smith for ineffective play.

“These past two weeks have allowed me to sit back and continue to learn,” said Mills. “Early on in the season and as the season progresses, it is kind of a whirlwind of everything. You play a game and watch the film immediately after the game, and then you are on to the next opponent.”

“There is not a lot of time to sit there and evaluate what you are doing. You are just trying to progress as the season goes on. These last two weeks have allowed me to sit back and start piecing some more things in my mind and what it takes to be successful out there. Hopefully, I will fall back to those fundamentals that I have been doing my whole life and what Pep (Hamilton) has taught me and go out there and play successful football.”

With a challenging road game against the Dallas Cowboys, the Texans decided that a two-week hiatus was all Mills needed to get himself mentally and fundamentally together.

“I think it was an opportunity for him to recalibrate fundamentally, said offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. “I think more than anything, when you look at our games up to this point, it is just a matter of being able to manage all situations.”

The Mills-led offense was unable to produce more than 20 points a game in his last five starts, and his turnover-to-touchdown ratio has not provided much encouragement for the future of Mills as the starter in 2023.