Tag: davis mills

Alabama QB Bryce Young puts Texans on notice with 5 touchdowns in Sugar Bowl

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young showed the Houston Texans what he is capable of with his five touchdowns in the Sugar Bowl.

Some found it to be a rather odd decision for Bryce Young to play in Alabama’s “meaningless” Sugar Bowl. Others applauded the dedication to his teammates and the head coach, Nick Saban, who had helped to elevate him to his current status.

Whatever pundits wanted to call the decision for Young, it was another opportunity for the young quarterback. Despite his near consensus projection as the NFL’s No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL draft, the Sugar Bowl gave him an opportunity to remind the entire country what he had to offer at the next level.

Young more than delivered in his final college contest.

He finished 15 of 21 for 321 yards and five touchdowns in a 45-20 stomping over the Big 12 champion Kansas State Wildcats. The game featured a host of NFL throws from the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner and highlighted his anticipation, touch, accuracy, and overall play making skills that have made him college football’s best over the past two seasons.

All five touchdowns went to five different receivers as Young made the most of what’s been a lackluster receiving core during the season. It was the kind of performance that will leave many wondering if the Crimson Tide should have faced Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

However, for Houston, it left no question. The Texans have a clear choice to make should they find themselves with the first overall pick in the upcoming draft.

Young’s electric playing energy on the field and demonstrable leadership off the field look perfectly primed to elevate the Texans franchise. After officially losing their franchise quarterback via a trade with the Cleveland Browns, Houston finds themselves in the rare position to quickly move on.

Armed with Young, on a rookie contract no less, and all the capital gained from the trade with the Browns, general manager Nick Caserio may be poised to build a playoff team faster than anyone expected in Houston.

Make no mistake: Young is far from a perfect prospect. The next few months will feature a litany of conversation regarding the quarterback’s size and if his frame is built to last at the professional level. Saturday was still an important reminder of just how impressive the actual football player has been on the field.

With the sophomore slump of Davis Mills and the disappointing first campaign of Lovie Smith’s tenure, seeking an upgrade at the game’s most important position seems like an obvious solution.

[listicle id=78799]

Texans OC Pep Hamilton says early down success has helped offense keep moving

Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton says the offense’s ability to have early down success has led to their improvement.

The Houston Texans offense doesn’t seem the same.

The Texans have scored at least 19 points in their past three games and have posted a win. In their previous two games, they took playoff contenders in the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, and Tennessee Titans down to the wire, eventually getting an elusive victory over the Titans in Week 16.

Second-year quarterback Davis Mills returned to the lineup after a two-game benching, but the insertion of Mills alone — and the deployment of the two quarterback system with Jeff Driskel — can’t account for why the offense is doing better.

According to offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, the Texans have done a better job of not getting carried away with momentum and staying grounded.

“I think from week-to-week we have to do a great job of not getting too high with the highs or low with the lows,” said Hamilton. “Trusting that our process of preparing ourselves to be at our best on game day is comprehensive. Ultimately, it’s going to come down to us putting our players in the best position to be successful. Then those guys have the tough job of going out and making the plays.”

“As of late, because we’ve been able to get more first downs and have some success early in the game,” said Hamilton.

Hamilton also pointed out the Texans have had more success on early downs than they had previously. The numbers don’t exactly bear out as Houston’s 3.4 yards per play on first down from Weeks 14-16 is the second-lowest in the NFL. However, the Texans are the eighth-best third down team in that span with a 43.5% conversion rate.

Said Hamilton: “It seems to fuel our entire sideline, and we hope to do that this Sunday. Fuel the entire stadium and bring some excitement and energy for the fans and to the stadium on Sunday as well.”

Houston takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at NRG Stadium to close out the season series and also their last game at home for the 2022 season.

Davis Mills says Texans are ‘excited’ to attempt extending win streak over Jaguars to 10

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills says the team is looking forward to the chance of beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 10 games in a row.

No matter the quarterback, coaching staff, general manager, or direction of the franchise, one thing has remained the same for the Houston Texans since 2018: beating the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Houston has bested their AFC South rivals nine games in a row, and the team is well aware of the streak, according to quarterback Davis Mills.

“It’s mentioned throughout the week,” Mills said. “It’s hard to beat a team once. We’ve beaten the Jaguars nine times in a row as this point. We’re excited for the opportunity to make it 10.”

Mills has been the starter for two of those nine wins, both of them on the road at TIAA Bank Field. The second-year signal caller will have an opportunity to lead Houston to a win over the Jaguars at NRG Stadium as the 2-12-1 Texans endeavor to earn their first home win of the 2022 season.

The 7-8 Jaguars aren’t exactly going to lie down, even though Jacksonville only needs to beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 18 to secure the AFC South title. Nevertheless the Texans welcome the challenge as they attempt to end the season on a three-game winning streak.

“For an opportunity like this, we focus a little bit more divisional games, although every game is extremely important,” said Mills. “We’re seeing these guys twice a year every year. You’re a little more familiar with the teams that are in your division. We’re excited for the opportunity to win 10 straight against Jacksonville.”

As abominable as the Texans have been this year, Houston has a solid record against division opponents with a 2-1-1 record. A win over the Jaguars would ensure Houston finished with a winning record in division games for the first time since 2019, which was the last year that the Texans won the AFC South.

[listicle id=79704]

Texans QB Davis Mills says G A.J. Cann ‘has been extremely consistent all year’

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills says that guard A.J. Cann has been one of the more consistent players throughout 2022.

A.J. Cann earned a game ball for his efforts in the Houston Texans’ 19-14 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 16 at Nissan Stadium.

The 31-year-old right guard was instrumental in providing a clean pocket for quarterback Davis Mills, who was sacked just once. The Texans scored nine unanswered points in the fourth quarter to upset the leaders of the AFC South.

Mills has noticed that what Cann brings to the offensive line is consistency.

“A.J. has been extremely consistent all year, securing the inside of the offensive line and being a really good leader out there,” Mills said. “He’s a veteran in this league, and we know he’s going to do the right thing.”

According to Mills, Cann can be relied upon to take care of the man in front of him.

Said Mills: “He’s been winning his one-on-one matchups. This past Sunday, he played extremely well. I think he had one of the highest grades on the offense throughout the game. We’re excited.”

The surging Jacksonville Jaguars, Cann’s former team from 2015-21, feature a dynamic defensive line with Dawuane Smoot, DaVon Hamilton, and Adam Gotsis. Controlling the line of scrimmage will be key against the Jaguars, but Mills believes Cann will be ready for the challenge.

“We’re going to need him again this week versus a talented defensive front,” said Mills. “Props to him, he’s playing extremely well.”

The former 2015 third-round pick from South Carolina has played 14 games for Houston and started in each game.

Texans’ Davis Mills climbs to No. 26 in CBS Sports QB power rankings

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills rose a few spots in CBS Sports’ weekly QB power rankings.

The Houston Texans got a win, and it lifted all ships on the roster.

According to Cody Benjamin from CBS Sports, quarterback Davis Mills jumped to No. 26 in their weekly power rankings for the position following Houston’s 19-14 win over the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Week 16.

Mills has been through the ringer in two years with Houston, trying to balance aggression and smarts on a lineup perpetually undermanned. His best-case scenario is breaking free to grow and serve as a top backup elsewhere. (+3)

Mills completed 17 passes on 28 attempts for 178 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The second-year signal caller led Houston to nine unanswered points to extend the Titans’ losing streak to five games.

The Texans deployed the two quarterback system starting in Week 14 when Mills returned to the lineup. However, backup Jeff Driskel only had four pass attempts against the Titans and rushed just twice, indicating offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton was more comfortable to let Mills handle most of the offense.

Houston hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17 at NRG Stadium. The Jaguars are 7-8 and have a shot at wresting control of first place in the AFC South from the similarly 7-8 Titans.

Lovie Smith must go despite Texans’ late season surge

Even though the Houston Texans are on a late season surge, @johnhcrumpler writes that the team must still jettison coach Lovie Smith.

It only took 14 weeks, but the Houston Texans are finally surging.

Houston is coming off an impressive 19-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans where they not only worked to stop Derrick Henry’s ridiculous streak against the team but also forced the Titans into a winner-take-all scenario against Jacksonville in Week 18. Coach Lovie Smith preached of his team’s resilience and the impressive factoid that, despite an overall underwhelming record to this point, the team could still hypothetically finish with a winning record against the AFC South.

This win came on the back of two impressive outings against the playoff-bound Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs. The Cowboys needed a game-winning drive from Dak Prescott in the final two minute frame to secure the victory in Houston while Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs required a late Davis Mills fumble in overtime to seal their win. In both games national commentators couldn’t help but remark on how intense the Texans appeared and how their hard-hitting style was creating fits against more talented teams.

Houston now sits in an interesting position. Their overall record is just 2-12-1 but the momentum behind the team feels greater than the NFL’s currently ranked 32nd team. The Jacksonville Jaguars may rest their starters this week in a meaningless game while the Indianapolis Colts, their Week 18 opponent, look like the NFL’s worst team under interim head coach Jeff Saturday.

Smith is absolutely right. The opportunity exists for the team to finish 4-12-1 overall and an impressive 4-1-1 against their division, which would be the best of any of the four AFC South teams. Of course, this creates a rather interesting dilemma for general manager Nick Caserio and chairman and CEO Cal McNair.

Does Houston’s potential late winning streak and level of intensity over their last six games matter? Is it enough to save Smith’s job when it was previously a foregone conclusion he was a one-year stop gap?

Certainly national pundits around the league will discuss the effort Smith was able to rally from a less talented team and the amount of one-score games Houston found themselves in during the 2022 season. An argument will be made that Smith deserves a chance to run it back with a more talented roster, a new offensive coordinator, and likely improved quarterback play for the game’s most important position.

That would be a trap.

Make no mistake: the best course for the Texans is to take a third consecutive visit to the coaching carousel.

Smith has rallied the team to play hard for him but in seemingly every game this season the Texans coaching staff have been the weaker sideline in games. There’s little that projects to offering a competitive advantage in meaningful football games and, for a defensive coach, the team has still left a lot to be desired.

The Texans rank 26th in points allowed and 30th in total yardage allowed. They’ve allowed a stunning 2,529 yards on the ground this season, the worst total in the NFL and a value that has masked just how poor the pass defense is when called upon. Opposing teams have only passed for 3,188 yards against Houston, a number good for 13th in the league, but a deeper dive shows that teams average 6.5 net yards per attempt when dropping back. The team is 23rd in the NFL for that metric.

The deficiencies of Smith’s Cover 2 heavy defense have been masked by just how porous Houston is against the run and how often teams find themselves in a position to milk the clock and protect their lead against the Texans’ porous offense.

Speaking of the offense, it’s been an absolute disaster. Smith once preached how excited he was to retain Pep Hamilton as offensive coordinator and the opportunity presented for the team to create continuity with quarterback Davis Mills. It’s been worse than most imagined possible when the hire was made.

Mills has stepped back as a quarterback in nearly every metric after his impressive 2021 rookie campaign. Hamilton’s tenure as play-caller has been criticized as overly conservative and, despite trying his best to veil the team’s poor quarterback play, has more often than not simply highlighted it. The team is dead last in total offense and Mills is tied for the NFL-lead in interceptions.

Despite any late wins, Houston is in a precarious situation. Almost any scenario that asks Smith to return begins with a new offensive coordinator and, ideally, an entirely new philosophy on that side of the ball. That’s already an enormous ask for a head coach who has preached for decade’s his held belief in running the football and dominating time of possession. This all comes before wondering if Smith’s own defensive schemes are worth returning as modern offensive football runs laps around the Tampa 2.

Is it worth returning Smith under the expectation that he’ll change his stripes after such a long tenure in the NFL? Or would it be preferable to have Smith in a “David Culley” CEO-type coaching role where he isn’t responsible for either unit? The clear answer would clearly be neither.

The Cowboys were caught off-guard by the Jeff Driskel quarterback package. The Chiefs were lackadaisical and expecting an easy win. The Titans were starting a rookie making his third ever start after a six-game hiatus. These fluky results hide what is otherwise a crystal clear picture.

Houston offers one of the most attractive coaching opportunities for candidates in the 2023 cycle. This is their window to capitalize.

Derek Stingley, Jalen Pitre, and Christian Harris are strong building blocks on defense. The team will presumably have the No. 1 overall selection in the upcoming draft and a clear path towards finding a franchise quarterback. Much maligned executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby is out the door and a distant memory. The AFC South is seemingly wide open while Trevor Lawrence works to become a top-10 NFL quarterback.

There’s no Russell Wilson or Kyler Murray sized contract that a candidate must find a way to fix. There’s no immediate expectation to win or succeed. There’s no Mahomes or Justin Herbert in the way of ever playing a home playoff game. It’s a desirable city in a desirable market that is ready for winning football.

Is the opportunity worth squandering because Smith found a way to win against rookie quarterback Malik Willis and potentially a Week 18 Nick Foles-quarterbacked Indianapolis Colts team?

Probably not.

Fans will have to wait and see if Caserio has the courage to move the Texans out of their deep rebuild phase and into playing serious football over the next month.

5 areas where Texans Wire Countdown got it right against the Titans

Texans Wire Countdown nailed five areas that would decide Week 16 between the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans.

Each week the Texans Wire publishes a countdown of 10 items for fans to keep an eye on throughout a Houston Texans game. These 10 notes could be significant in deciding the outcome to the game.

The Week 16 tilt with the Tennessee Titans was no exception. The game would come down to how the Texans met the challenges surrounding the 10 statistics or areas of concern. Could Houston play to their strengths, avoid their vulnerabilities, and similarly compel Tennessee to make mistakes?

Here are five of the 10 notes from Week 16’s Texans Wire Countdown that ended up being significant to Houston’s 19-14 win over the Titans.

Lovie Smith says Texans have been ‘playing tough’

Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith says that the team has been “playing tough” in recent weeks.

These aren’t the same Houston Texans.

Although the Texans snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 19-14 win over the Tennessee Titans Christmas Eve at Nissan Stadium, the trend towards winning was already present in previous weeks.

“I think, first, we have to analyze exactly how we’ve been playing,” coach Lovie Smith said after the victory that improved Houston to 2-12-1 on the year. “And, you know, the last two teams that beat us have a chance to win it all.”

Houston played the Dallas Cowboys to 27-23 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Dallas needed a 98-yard drive to win the game in Week 14.

The Texans took the Kansas City Chiefs into overtime at NRG Stadium, but ultimately lost 30-24.

Although the Titans have fallen to 7-8 and are in danger of losing the AFC South to the surging Jacksonville Jaguars, Smith has utmost respect for the reigning division champions, who a year ago locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

“This team could win it all,” said Smith. “I mean, they have a chance to represent our division. And we’ve been playing tough.”

Smith believes that anyone watching football for the past few weeks would concur that the Texans are among one of the tougher teams in December.

Said Smith: “If you’ve been watching our football team play and you know football, you’d say that, ‘Hey, this is a team that’s trending here.’ That’s what we’re doing. We’re getting better. As I told the team in there, I mean, we’re playing good football right now.”

Partly what has helped Houston is the improved play from second-year quarterback Davis Mills. The former third-rounder from Stanford has thrown just two interceptions to three touchdowns in his past three games. Mills has also rushed for a touchdown.

The Texans will close out their slate of games at NRG Stadium against the Jaguars in Week 17, who need to sustain their three-game winning streak if they hope to unseat Tennessee for the AFC South title.

“An opportunity to beat anybody we play and we’re going to get a chance to do that because Jacksonville is playing outstanding football, too,” said Smith. “So we’re going to enjoy this, but we understand what’s at stake next.”

[listicle id=79640]

Pep Hamilton put game in Davis Mills’ hands to lead Texans past Titans 19-14

When it mattered most, Pep Hamilton settled on one quarterback to lead the Houston Texans past the Tennessee Titans and prevail 19-14.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Heading into the fourth quarter of the game against the Tennessee Titans, trailing 14-10, Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton had the decision to make.

Continue with the two-quarterback system of Davis Mills and Jeff Driskel, or abandon it and just let one quarterback finish out the game.

The element of surprise that Driskel added to the offense had not been as effective as it was in the past two games against the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs. Mills was no better, as he struggled to move the ball efficiently and even gave the ball away on an interception in the third quarter on a pass intended for Brandin Cooks.

In his first year calling the plays, Hamilton has received a lot of criticism for his late-game calls but had found a small groove two weeks ago by throwing in the element of surprise with both quarterbacks alternating offensive series.

Hamilton decided that the best chance the team had of winning the game against their divisional foe was to stick with Mills, and that decision paid off as the Texans broke their season-long nine-game losing streak with a 19-14 win over the Titans.

Mills was perfect in the fourth quarter completing all nine pass attempts for 103 yards and one touchdown. After rookie linebacker Jake Hansen forced a fumble on Titans running back Derrick Henry, Mills led them on a 54-yard scoring drive that ended with a 22-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn to bring the score to 14-13.

After the Texans’ defense stopped the Titans on fourth down, Mills was given the opportunity to lead the offense again, and he made the best of it. On consecutive plays, he completed perfect downfield passes to receivers Phillip Dorsett (20 yards) and Amari Rodgers (37 yards) to put Houston inside the Tennessee red zone.

Royce Freeman gained four yards on first down to get the Texans to the 6-yard line, and Mills completed the drive with a touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks in the back of the end zone to give the Texans the lead at 19-14.

“It was one of those things where Pep was being patient and calling the right play at the right time,” said Cooks when asked about the play call on the 6-yard touchdown pass from Mills. “He just let his guys go out there and win.”

Cooks also praised Mills for his poise during that final scoring drive.

“Davis always stays even keel no matter what is going on,” Cooks elaborated when asked about his quarterback. “He kinds of tunes out all of the outside noise and tries to focus on getting this team a win.”

The season has been a rocky one for Mills, who has received constant criticism of his play and was benched for two games due to ineffectiveness. As the season is slowly ending, the win came at the right time for him.

“It’s awesome,” Mills said about the Christmas Eve victory. “Great feeling getting the win coming off that against a divisional opponent. Ready to go home for Christmas.”

[lawrence-related id=79672,79650]

[mm-video type=video id=01gn3pfkm7fq6jvrzfk2 playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gn3pfkm7fq6jvrzfk2/01gn3pfkm7fq6jvrzfk2-08019b87033828786284dbd1680602f0.jpg]

Davis Mills says Texans found a way to finish against the Titans

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills says the team finally found a way to finish games, and it led to beating the Tennessee Titans 19-14.

Davis Mills knows the type of work the Houston Texans have been putting in since his return as starting quarterback.

In Week 14, the Texans took the Dallas Cowboys down to the wire, requiring the eventual playoffs qualifiers to need a 98-yard drive to win the game.

In Week 15, Houston grappled with the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs into overtime. The Texans’ mistakes cost them 30-24.

Houston trailed the Tennessee Titans 14-10 in the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium on Christmas Eve, but they weren’t going to let another close game slip away.

“These guys have been fighting so hard week in, week out, all season,” Mills said. “We just haven’t gotten the results we wanted, but we feel like really these past couple of weeks and the tail end of the season we’ve put a lot of good efforts up, put a lot of good stuff on tape. Just have to find a way to finish games, and today that’s what we did.”

Mills completed 17-of-28 for 178 yards, a touchdown, and an interception while taking just one sack against the Titans. The second-year signal caller mounted a comeback as Houston scored nine unanswered points to post a 19-14 victory and snap a nine-game losing streak.

However, it wasn’t just Mills and the offense playing stellar in the fourth quarter. Rookie linebacker Christian Harris and rookie safety Jalen Pitre each intercepted rookie quarterback Malik Willis on his last two drives to end the game. Rookie linebacker Jake Hansen had a key forced fumble of Derrick Henry with 13:53 to go in the game that sparked Houston’s comeback.

Said Mills: “Really all three phases, offense, defense, special teams making plays in and out of the game to make sure we came out with the win.”

The Texans have won three of their past four games at Nissan Stadium and are on a two-game winning streak.

[listicle id=79640]