Tag: Jeff Driskel

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.

Coach Lovie Smith blames execution for Texans’ failure to score late touchdown against the Cowboys

Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith says it was the execution that was the problem on their penultimate drive against the Dallas Cowboys.

If the Houston Texans could have scored a touchdown with 3:25 to go in the game, they would have gone ahead 30-20 and given the Dallas Cowboys a harder time to tie the game, even with their three timeouts remaining.

Ifs and buts were candy and nuts, Space City would have a Merry Christmas.

Instead the Texans turned the ball over on downs as quarterback Jeff Driskel was held to one yard on a fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line with 3:21 to go and Houston leading 23-20.

Caoch Lovie Smith didn’t blame the play-call from offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton or the read from Driskel on the run-pass option.

“We just didn’t execute,” Smith said. “We just didn’t execute the way we needed to.”

According to Driskel, who went 4-6 for 38 yards and a touchdown along with rushing seven times for 36 yards, the design was to get to the edge, but he noticed there were more defenders near the edge.

“It was a play to get out on the edge and they had more bodies out there than maybe we wanted,” said Driskel. “It was fourth down and I tried to put my foot in the ground and get vertical and they beat us on that step.”

The Cowboys drove 98 yards for the go-ahead touchdown to take a 27-23 lead and win the game.

“Games like that, sometimes you feel like, did we deserve to win? Yeah, I thought we played throughout, all three phases,” Smith said. “Where we are in our season, the guys just keep showing up to play that way against a team.”

The Texans fall to 1-11-1 on the season and go home to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 at NRG Stadium.

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.”

WATCH: Texans QB Jeff Driskel throws TD pass to WR Amari Rodgers against the Cowboys

Houston Texans quarterback Jeff Driskel threw a touchdown pass to receiver Amari Rodgers against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14.

The Houston Texans haven’t made it look easy, but they have been effective.

With 2:30 to go in the second quarter trailing 14-10 against the Dallas Cowboys, quarterback Jeff Driskel rolled out to the right side and at the last second heaved a 28-yard pass for receiver Amari Rodgers, who caught his first career touchdown pass.

The touchdown, along with the ensuing extra point, provided Houston the chance to pull ahead of the Cowboys 17-14 with the ensuing extra point from kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn.

The Texans’ touchdown was setup by an interception hauled in by cornerback Tremon Smith. Both of Houston’s touchdowns were the result of takeaways.

 

Texans elevate QB Jeff Driskel and WR Jalen Camp from the practice squad

The Houston Texans are elevating QB Jeff Driskel and WR Jalen Camp from the practice squad for Week 14 against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Houston Texans have designated their two players from the practice squad to be their standard elevations for Week 14’s matchup with the Dallas Cowboys Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at AT&T Stadium.

The Texans will elevate quarterback Jeff Driskel and receiver Jalen Camp to the game day roster.

Houston could especially use Camp as they are down their top two receivers in Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins. Cooks is out with a calf injury while Collins has a foot injury.

Camp was active in Week 9 on Thursday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles and caught one pass for seven yards as part of his 15 offensive snaps.

Commanders Taylor Heinicke went from quarantine QB to starter

Taylor Heinicke’s journey in less than two years is a heckuva story. And it ties back to an undrafted wide receiver for the Denver Broncos.

Commanders fans, do you recall Kendall Hinton?

Hinton is a good percentage of the reason why you have Taylor Heinicke today in 2022.

On Nov. 22, 2020, the Broncos defeated the Miami Dolphins 20-13, raising their record to 4-6. But that was the last good news for the Broncos that week.

Suddenly, Jeff Driskel tested positive for COVID-19, and Drew Lock and Brett Rypien were also declared ineligible, having been with Driskel without wearing masks.

The Broncos were unprepared for such a disaster of suddenly losing, not one but all three of their quarterbacks on the roster. But the (NFL) show must go on. So taking snaps that day was Kendall Hinton.

Hinton was not an NFL quarterback, and he certainly didn’t have enough time to prep, to make much of a difference in his performance. He was only age 23 at the time and was an undrafted wide receiver from Wake Forest.

Yet there he was being forced to play quarterback in an NFL regular season game having no previous NFL experience at quarterback. The Broncos attempted to run the ball as much as they could gaining 100 yards on their 33 rushes.

Hinton attempted nine passes, completing one for 13 yards. He was sacked once and intercepted twice for an NFL passer rating of 0.0. It was a disaster; the Broncos of course lost badly to the Saints 31-3.

With the Minnesota Vikings staff, Scott Turner got to work some with Taylor Heinicke an undrafted quarterback out of Old Dominion. Heinicke had seen some action in the preseason, never appearing in a regular season game over two seasons (2015-16).

The Patriots signed and released Heinicke in 2017, as did the Texans, although he did attempt one pass for the Texans in 2017.

Turner and Ron Rivera signed Heinicke for the Carolina Panthers, and he started one game in 2018.

In December 2020, Turner called Heinicke, and Washington signed Heinicke to be its quarantine quarterback. He would study the offense, work out and pretty much be isolated initially.

Suddenly, Alex Smith’s leg was injured again, and Dwayne Haskins was not taking responsibility. Heinicke was brought up to the practice squad, then the roster appeared against the Panthers on Dec. 27, and got the start against the Bucs in the playoff game.

In 2022, Washington has won four of five games Heinicke has started, and he was named the team’s starter (not Carson Wentz) moving forward.

As Rivera said Monday, “It’s a heck of a story.”

 

Texans coach Lovie Smith says QB Jeff Driskel ‘has given us a spark’

Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith likes the way backup quarterback Jeff Driskel has found ways to help the offense on the ground.

The Houston Texans aren’t afraid of what Jeff Driskel does best.

The former San Francisco 49ers sixth-round pick has been more of a running quarterback throughout his career, and the Texans have found a way to utilize that skillset in offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton’s scheme.

Through two games, Driskel has taken five offensive snaps and carried the ball twice for 15 yards. The 6-4, 235-pounder, who played a little at tight end last year for Houston, has become a decent short-yardage quarterback for Houston through the first two games of the season.

“I think every time he’s gotten in the game, preseason, the two regular season games, limited amount of action,” coach Lovie Smith told reporters Monday. “He’s given us a spark; exactly why we inserted him into the game is what we’ve gotten from him. So, like what he’s done in that sense.”

The Texans ground game has yet to reach the 100-yard mark. Houston was also 2-13 on third downs against the Broncos. If the Texans can find a way to have Driskel provide more sparks for the offense, it should help their conversion woes.

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Texans elevate WR Chris Conley, QB Jeff Driskel from practice squad

The Houston Texans have elevated WR Chris Conley and QB Jeff Driskel from the practice squad for their Week 2 encounter with the Denver Broncos.

The Houston Texans made their two standard elevations from the practice squad ahead of their Week 2 matchup with the Denver Broncos Sunday at 3:25 p.m. Central Time at Empower Field at Mile High.

The Texans elevated receiver Chris Conley and quarterback Jeff Driskel, both of whom were active for Houston’s 20-20 tie with the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 at NRG Stadium.

Conley played 10 offensive snaps for the Texans and was targeted twice.

Driskel played two offensive snaps for Houston, carrying the ball once for a 5-yard gain.

The roster moves also indicate that tight end Brevin Jordan (ankle), who was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report, was not left behind in Houston and has a better chance to be active against the Broncos.

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These two Gators earned SEC honors for their Week 1 performances

Two Gators made big waves in the conference in their team’s season opener.

Florida football scored an epic win to open the 2022 season in the Swamp, outlasting their top-10 opponent, the Utah Utes, for an upset victory that hopefully sets the tone for the team in head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s first year at the helm.

It took a total team effort to score that victory, from the coaching staff all the way down to everyone else who contributed to the outcome on the field. Among the gridiron warriors who went to battle for the glory of the Orange and Blue Saturday night, two particular players stood out from their Southeastern Conference peers.

Quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] put up Heisman Trophy-worth stats against the Utes to earn the SEC Offensive Player of the Week honor, looking solid with his arm while setting a career-high in rushing touchdowns with his three scampers. Only five other Florida play-callers have achieved that accomplishment, a list that also includes [autotag]Emory Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Jeff Driskel[/autotag], [autotag]Jesse Palmer[/autotag] and [autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag]. Of course, Tebow did it twice.

On the other side of the ball is defensive lineman [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]., who roped in his first SEC weekly honor — Co-Defensive Lineman — thanks to a career-best 10 tackles against Utah. The former Georgia Bulldog was expected to anchor the D-line for Florida this season and did not disappoint against the opening opponent, ending up just one of eight conference players to record double-digit tackles in Week 1.

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Texans release QB Jeff Driskel

The Houston Texans have released quarterback Jeff Driskel as they finalize their 53-man roster.

The Houston Texans are rolling with two quarterbacks on their active roster.

According to Aaron Wilson from the Pro Football Network, the Texans have released quarterback Jeff Driskel.

The former San Francisco 49ers 2016 sixth-round pick from Louisiana Tech wasn’t atrocious in preseason, even leading the Texans on a game-winning drive to defeat the New Orleans Saints in the preseason opener. Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton told reporters on Aug. 16 that Driskel was “more than a hybrid quarterback.”

“I think Jeff has shown, even in that last drive, that he can play from the pocket,” said Hamilton. “He can make all the throws from the pocket. And he has the poise and the savvy to lead us to a win regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the fact that it was preseason. He just showed a lot of good attributes you look for in your quarterbacks.”

The Texans could look to bring back Driskel at a later time, according to Wilson’s report.