Tag: Jeff Driskel

Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo says Texans are ‘a scary team’

Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo isn’t taking the Houston Texans lightly, and referred to the 1-11-1 club as “a scary team.”

The rest of the football world may be overlooking the Houston Texans, but Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo assuredly is not.

Spagnuolo soutlined some of the challenges the Chiefs will face when they take on the Texans Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time from NRG Stadium in Week 15.

“”Listen, it’s a good football team,” Spagnuolo said via Charles Goldman of the Chiefs Wire. “Well coached; they still have (something to play for).”

Spagnuolo says he has “been on both ends” of being the frontrunner, as the Chiefs are with a 10-3 record, and being the doormat, as the St. Louis Rams were in 2011 when they finished with a 2-14 record and Spagnuolo was fired at the end of the year.

“Guys are prideful in this league,” said Spagnuolo. “They’re going to play. Nobody is going to walk out there and lay down. We don’t expect that. I’m expecting a really tough battle.”

The Texans are a blip on the Chiefs’ radar because of what they nearly pulled off against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14. With Houston’s dual quarterback offense led by Davis Mills and Jeff Driskel, the Texans were two yards away from going up 30-20 with 3:27 to go in the fourth quarter and salting away the game.

Said Spagnuolo: “We’re going down there, they played Dallas really well and gained some confidence. They’ve got two quarterbacks now. They scored some points, they almost win the game. That’s a scary team. So, we better be ready.”

The last time the Texans beat the Chiefs was on Oct. 13, 2019, at Arrowhead Stadium.

Texans sign QB Jeff Driskel to active roster as part of 4 roster moves

The Houston Texans have signed QB Jeff Driskel to the active roster as part of four total transactions on Wednesday.

The Houston Texans are giving Jeff Driskel a promotion.

The Texans signed the quarterback off the practice squad and added him to the active roster on Wednesday. The move comes after the former San Francisco 49ers 2016 sixth-round pick went 4-6 for 38 yards and a touchdown while carrying seven times for 36 yards in the 27-23 close loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14.

The Texans also signed wideout D.J. Montgomery to the practice squad. The former Cleveland Browns 2019 undrafted free agent has not been with an organization since the Indianapolis Colts cut him on Aug. 22, the second wave of preseason cuts.

Houston also placed receiver Jalen Camp on the practice squad/injured list.

The Texans put offensive lineman Jordan Steckler on the practice squad/designated to return list.

WR Chris Moore says the Texans’ offense executed regardless of who was quarterback

Houston Texans receiver Chris Moore says the offense was simply executing regardless of who was the quarterback in Week 14.

The Houston Texans went with an unconventional style in their Week 14 tilt with the Dallas Cowboys.

Although second-year signal caller Davis Mills was named the starting quarterback leading up to the matchup, Houston mixed in backup Jeff Driskel, who was called up from the practice squad, to help move the ball in the 27-23 loss at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Sunday.

Mills had one of his more efficient games of the season as he completed 16 passes on 21 attempts for 175 yards. His lone interception was the result of a Hail Mary attempt on the game’s final play.

According to receiver Chris Moore, who talked with reporters Tuesday, the difference in Mills’ efficient play was simply execution on the offense’s part.

“I think it was just executing our plays and taking advantage of the opportunities we were given to be honest,” said Moore, who had a career-high 10 catches for 124 yards. “I don’t think there was anything too much different than that. It’s just another game where we executed better than we have been in the past. Like I said, we took advantage of the opportunities that were given to us. In the past, we haven’t been doing that as much. I feel like that’s just the biggest difference.”

Driskel had 13 snaps for the Texans. The former San Francisco 49ers 2016 sixth-round pick rushed seven times for 36 yards and also went 4-of-6 for 38 yards and a touchdown.

Moore says it didn’t matter who was under center; the offense was doing its job.

Said Moore: “I think it’s just us on the field executing. I think if Davis or Jeff were out there (the entire time), we would have still executed the same way.”

The Texans could go with the dual quarterback offense as Houston hosts the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at NRG Stadium.

Texans almost got away from being No. 32 in Touchdown Wire NFL power rankings

The Houston Texans came so close to not being the No. 32 team in the latest Touchdown Wire NFL power rankings.

The Houston Texans almost proved to the NFL they weren’t the worst team overall — at least for Week 14.

According to Mark Lane from the Touchdown Wire, the Texans came close to getting away from the No. 32 overall ranking, but they weren’t able to finish off the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Dallas stuffed Houston on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line with 3:27 to go, and then marched 98 yards in 11 plays to win the game 27-23.

The Texans would have moved up further in the power rankings had they pulled off the upset of the Dallas Cowboys. Instead, Houston did what bad teams do, and that is fail to close out. Their goal-to-go sequence on their second to last possession that resulted in a turnover on downs rather than insurance points sums up the Texans’ season: inadequate personnel and bad play-calling to boot.

What could have been.

Houston is the last place team in the power rankings for the seventh consecutive week.

The Indianapolis Colts were on a bye and dropped one slot to No. 29. The Jacksonville Jaguars improved to No. 17 with a win over the Tennessee Titans. The Titans’ loss to the Jaguars dropped the AFC South leaders to No. 11, just one slot behind the 6-7 Detroit Lions.

Texans’ Lovie Smith can’t decide between his 2 awful QBs, so he’ll just play them both

“Davis and Josh are our quarterbacks,” Lovie Smith, probably.

When he took the Chicago Bears to Super Bowl 41, Lovie Smith often issued a familiar refrain to defend his then-starting quarterback Rex Grossman. As Grossman struggled through ups and downs (more of the latter), Smith would usually say, without fail, “Rex is our quarterback” as an indicator the Bears would not be making a change. Smith did not deviate from this script, and it essentially became a meme for what was then arguably the NFL’s best team on paper.

Roughly 16 years later, Smith has evolved as head coach of the Houston Texans. Instead of sticking with one inconsistent QB, he will ride with Davis Mills. And Jeff Driskel. That’s right. After having Mills and Driskel play an even amount of snaps (33) in an almost-upset of the Dallas Cowboys, Smith will keep platooning his quarterbacks against the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday.

Good luck with that, sir.

 

Per a further report from the Houston Chronicle, Smith really seemed to appreciate what Mills and Driskel were able to accomplish in Dallas. The near-win couldn’t be that the Cowboys — definitely notorious for not being overhyped frontrunners — overlooked the one-win Texans, could it? It had to be, somehow, the pair of QBs barely combining for 200 yards passing and just one score while offering little groundbreaking with their legs. Why? Because Smith thinks the two-QB system keeps defenses on their toes:

“I thought it was effective,” Texans coach Lovie Smith said on Monday. “Two different flavors, and that’s always tough for a defense to prepare with what we were doing with them. As far as what we’re going to do this week going forward, we started evaluating and seeing what we need to do against another good division-leading Kansas City football team.”

If Smith actually believes this plan will work, I think I should make it clear that an old adage about having two-signal callers remains true and timeless. You know the one: “If you have two quarterbacks, you have none.” Because the overwhelming majority of normal (and good) teams generally want to keep the ball in the hands of their one, better quarterback instead of disrupting his rhythm and letting the other defense catch their breath.

Smith’s decision to keep running with Mills and Davis applies to that sentiment, but differently.

Usually, when a squad elects to platoon their QBs, at least one of the passers is clearly better and is just trying to win the job outright. In the case of these Texans, Mills is a former third-round pick now glorified game manager, while Driskel is on his fifth NFL team since being selected in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Therefore, if the Texans theoretically wanted to experiment and develop the two, I’m not sure why because there isn’t much brimming promise on hand.

The QB saying for the Texans and Smith should be more, “We don’t even have one quarterback, but we’re playing both anyway.”

With such a confounding plan continuing, at least the Texans — who currently own the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft — can take solace in knowing that Bryce Young will likely be on the way. Which isn’t to say Smith is tanking. For anyone unfamiliar, this is just how he coaches football.

When/if Young is wearing a Texans jersey, perhaps Smith will stay true to his roots, saying, “Bryce is our quarterback.” I have a feeling he’ll only have to say it once, at most.

Texans RT Tytus Howard pleased with game plan against the Cowboys, laments not scoring on goal line

Houston Texans RT Tytus Howard liked the way the offense moved the ball in Week 14, but says they need to finish their goal-to-go opportunities.

ARLINGTON — Heading into Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, the Houston Texans did not have many positives going their way.

Second-year quarterback Davis Mills was inserted back into the offense after being replaced for two games by backup Kyle Allen due to ineffectiveness. The Texans didn’t know how Mills would respond to being placed on the bench.

The offensive line had a tough job ahead of them, going up against one of the top-rated defenses in the league, led by linebacker Micah Parsons who, at times, can be hard to contain once he gets a running start.

Two offensive weapons in starting wide receivers, Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins, were ruled out of the game due to injuries. That would leave players like Chris Moore and Phillip Dorsett to pick up the slack, even though they did not have a lot of first-team reps with Mills.

The list could go on and on with the number of issues the Texans would face heading into AT&T Stadium.

Yet, with just over three minutes left in the game, they had a lead on the team that most have predicted to make it to at least the NFC Championship Game.

Houston was able to stay in the game offensively by deploying a two-quarterback system with Mills and third-string backup Jeff Driskel. They alternated in and out of the game, keeping the Cowboys’ explosive defense guessing what would happen on each snap.

The Texans held a six-minute advantage in time of possession over the Cowboys in the 27-23 loss, mainly due to the job done by the offensive line.

For the second consecutive game against an elite NFL defense, they provided running lanes for rookie running back Dameon Pierce, who finished the game with 78 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries before exiting the game with an ankle injury.

Houston held an opponent to no sacks in back-to-back games, which is very hard to do, especially when the Cowboys are second in the NFL with a total of 48 sacks.

“I think we had a good game plan coming in,” said Texans offensive lineman Tytus Howard. “We wanted to establish the run first and then go to the pass. We did that good early. I think, as a front, we played hard, and everybody on our offense played hard. We kept them from getting to the quarterback, but in the end, on the goal line, we have to score.”

With a 23-20 late in the fourth quarter, the defense forced a turnover on Dak Prescott inside the Cowboys’ ten-yard line, giving the offense a chance to increase the lead. The Texans got the ball down to the Dallas one-yard line before turning it over on downs after quarterback Jeff Driskel was tackled before crossing the goal line.

The Cowboys would get the ball back and go 98 yards to score to put them up by four points. Houston got the ball back with under a minute left, but a failed hail mary pass was intercepted by a Dallas defensive back and ended the game.

Howard believes that the offense may have found some continuity in the offensive game plan in the future.

“If it is one thing I can take forward into the next game and the rest of the season, is that people say we have one of the worst offenses in the league, and I don’t believe that,” said Howard. “The Cowboys have one of the top defenses in the league, and I think we ran the ball and moved the ball up and down the field all game. If we can do it on them, we can do it on anybody else. So, we just have to have that mindset every week.”

Two quarterback solution did not affect the Texans’ receivers against the Cowboys

Houston Texans receivers say that they experience no disruptions working with QBs Davis Mills and Jeff Driskel against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Houston Texans took a unique approach to moving the ball against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14.

After going 0-2 with Kyle Allen, and producing eight total turnovers in that span, the Texans went back to Davis Mills as the starter. However, the Texans gave backup Jeff Driskel significant snaps throughout the game.

The signal caller, who was elevated the day before from the practice squad, complete 4-6 for 38 yards and a touchdown while also contributing seven carries for 36 yards.

The offense generated 327 total yards, the most since Week 10.

While most of the Texans’ receiving corps had never played with quarterbacks splitting snaps throughout a 60-minute game, the experience was not jarring in terms of keeping them out of rhythm.

“As a receiver, you just get open and if the ball is around you, you’ve just got to catch it,” said wideout Amari Rodgers, who had a career-high four catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. “To me, it doesn’t matter who’s out there at quarterback. I’ve got to do my job and get open. If the ball comes my way, I’ll make the play.”

Rodgers caught a 28-yard touchdown pass late in the first half that wasn’t even supposed to go his way, but Driskel saw Rodgers could make a play on the ball against safety Donovan Wilson.

“They both did a great job today, Driskel and Davis, they did a great job handling the game management and keeping the offense rolling,” said Rodgers. “They did a great job. Maybe we will keep rolling with that because they did a great job.”

Mills completed 16-of-21 for 175 yards and his interception was the result of a Hail Mary attempt on the game’s final play to overcome Dallas’ 27-23 lead.

Receiver Chris Moore, who had 10 catches for 124 yards, called the operation with two quarterbacks “seamless.”

Said Moore: “I feel like we did a good job of practicing that all week and we went out there and executed the game plan pretty well.”

The Texans fall to 1-11-1 with the loss and host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 at NRG Stadium.

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.

Texans WR Amari Rodgers says Jeff Driskel TD ‘wasn’t supposed to come to me’

Houston Texans receiver Amari Rodgers says that his touchdown catch from Jeff Driskel against the Dallas Cowboys wasn’t supposed to come his way.

The Houston Texans’ second taking of the lead was probably the wakeup call that let the Dallas Cowboys know the 1-10-1 team wasn’t going to lie down in Week 14.

On a second-and-11 from the Dallas’ 28-yard line, quarterback Jeff Driskel rolled to his right and heaved a ball to the goal just as he was about to head out of bounds. Wideout Amari Rodgers caught the ball while defending by safety Donovan Wilson and crossed the goal line for a touchdown to help give Houston a 17-14 lead with 2:30 to go until halftime.

According to Rodgers, the play-action pass wasn’t even supposed to go his way.

“I just ran a wheel route,” Rodgers told reporters after the game. “I was really just supposed to clear out the safety. It wasn’t supposed to come to me. But I was playing fast and was ready for the ball. He threw it to me, and I just made the play.”

On the rollout, Driskel was initially supposed to check down to the tight end. However, the former San Francisco 49ers 2016 sixth-round pick saw more.

“He saw the safety wasn’t looking,” said Rodgers. “If the defender’s back is turned to you, you’re open. So, that was a great throw by him. I just happened to come down with it.”

Rodgers had a career-high four catches for 57 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys in the 27-23 loss.

Getting his first score lifted a burden off of Rodgers.

Said Rodgers: “It felt amazing just being able to get in the end zone and get that weight lifted off me. I definitely feel like I’ll be able to continue to make plays now that I’ve made that play. Just being able to have that feeling, it felt amazing. I’ve just got to keep working and building that trust with the staff and the quarterbacks. Hopefully, we take off from it.”

Rodgers was active in Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns and saw 18 offensive snaps but was not targeted once.

Texans saw the fourth down call work on film against the Cowboys

Houston Texans guard A.J. Cann says the team saw their fateful fourth down call work against the Dallas Cowboys in film study going into Week 14.

The most bizarre call of the Houston Texans’ 27-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys was the fourth-and-goal run from the 3-yard line.

Quarterback Jeff Driskel took the run-pass option and cut it inside for a 1-yard gain, resulting in a turnover on downs. Houston still had a 23-20 lead with 3:21 to go in the game, but Dallas marched 98 yards in 11 plays to score the go-ahead touchdown.

If Houston had scored a touchdown, they would have made it a two-possession game and next to impossible for the Cowboys to tie them 30-30, even with Dallas having all three timeouts.

According to guard A.J. Cann, the Cowboys showed a vulnerability to that play-call in their film sessions throughout the week.

“We worked that play,” Cann told reporters after the game. “We saw it work against them on film. It’s a copycat league. We tried it. They were on it. They figured it out. They saw it and they made a great play.”

Driskel said that the intent for the play was to run to the edge, but the Cowboys defense had already beaten him there, which forced him to cut inside where he only picked up a yard.

The goal-to-go opportunity was the only wasted Texans takeaway of the afternoon as cornerback Tremon Smith got his second interception and setup Houston as the Dallas 4-yard line with 5:37 to go in the game.

“Defense gives it to us on the five and everybody on our sideline thought there’s no way we don’t get this ball in,” Driskel said. “I thought every snap we were going to be able to get it in. I thought Chris [Moore] was really close on the naked [bootleg]. We’ve just got to find a way to punch it in.”

Houston falls to 1-11-1 and goes back to NRG Stadium to host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15.