Quarterback Davis Mills did his part to keep the Houston Texans competitive against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite playing at home, the Houston Texans entered Sunday’s contest against the Kansas City Chiefs as a 14-point underdog to the AFC West’s best team. Similar to last week against the Dallas Cowboys, coach Lovie Smith’s team once again came well prepared and caught a heavy favorite off-guard.
The Texans took the Chiefs all the way to overtime and even stopped start quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Kansas City’s first possession of the period before ultimately falling 30-24. The effort wouldn’t have been possible without a surprisingly strong outing from Houston’s two quarterback system and the combined play of Davis Mills and Jeff Driskel.
Driskel attempted only four passes but was used in spades to try to create different running looks for the offense and open things up for the passing game. Meanwhile Mills delivered one of his more memorable performances of the season in the near upset bid.
Mills finished 12 of 24 for 121 yards and two touchdowns while engineering key plays during most of Houston’s scoring drives. The offensive line provided ample time in the pocket and Mills was able to find tight ends Jordan Akins and Teagan Quitoriano for touchdowns while also delivering an impressive deep strike to Chris Moore.
Can we nominate Davis Mills for Comeback Player of the Year after playing like a different QB post-benching lmao pic.twitter.com/kDO4LvxRz8
Unfortunately for Mills, the good will earned in the performance was ultimately overshadowed by his performance in the overtime period. While scrambling to try to gain a first down, the second-year quarterback fumbled the ball in what was ultimately the last play for Houston’s offense before Kansas City’s Jerick McKinnon rushed for the game winner.
Overall, the performance was a reminder of Mills’ strong talent base but also of why Houston is likely to spend the first overall selection this upcoming April on a potential franchise quarterback. Similar to earlier games against Indianapolis, Denver and Chicago, the Texans signal caller crumbled during the game’s most important period.
Even if Mills is destined to be a backup at the NFL level, he’s done enough to show he belongs on the roster and can be an asset to general manager Nick Caserio moving forward.
To be clear, I think Nick Caserio 'hit' on the Davis Mills pick in 2021. He has nice physical tools, plays relatively turnover-free football, and shows signs that he'll be successful in better infrastructure.
It's still not enough to pass on Bryce Young this April. #WeAreTexans
The loss leaves Houston at 1-12-1 and in prime position to select Alabama’s Bryce Young or Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud first overall during the 2023 NFL draft.
Until then, offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton can continue his two quarterback rampage and fans will have to wonder if there are any wins left on the roster with Tennessee, a surging Jacksonville squad, and Indianapolis left to play on the year.
The second-year quarterback has been a more effective version of himself after having say Weeks 12-13 behind Kyle Allen. The Houston Texans signal caller threw his second touchdown pass of the game as he connected with tight end Jordan Akins on a third-and-goal from the 12-yard line Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium.
The touchdown pass from Mills to Akins helped push the Texans ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs 21-16 with 1:30 to go in the third quarter. The touchdown was also the result of the second Texans takeaway of the afternoon following a JuJu Smith-Schuster fumble.
Heading into Week 13, the teams that remain in contention get smaller and smaller in the NFL and in fantasy. This is the time top fantasy teams hope they can coast into their playoffs while the contenders have to fret over picking a defense or kicker because every point may count.
There is still transition on NFL teams though most of it is still related to the injury impacts. Starting now, teams slide into the “next year” mentality and will try out new players to evaluate their rosters.
Hopefully your still in the thick of the playoff race. Even if you aren’t, there’s always something to learn for next year.
Six items for this weekend:
1.) The Jets backfield – It was a surprise to see that James Robinson was inactive last week and that Zonovan “Pardon me?” Knight took his place. It was even more surprising to see Knight lead the offense with 14 carries for 69 yards. And no one was more surprised than James Robinson. Ty Johnson was given five carries and gained 62 yards that included a 32-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Robinson spoke with his RB coach and was told that the backfield will always be a committee approach and could change week to week.
HC Robert Saleh said that Knight had earned a spot in the rotation as the undrafted rookie was on the practice squad up until last weekend. He said that Robinson was still learning the system. Also notable, the trade for Robinson was for a sixth-round pick that could become a fifth-round pick if he gained 600 rushing yards. Robinson is currently at 415 yards.
What makes this even more interesting is that Michael Carter injured his ankle and hasn’t practiced yet. He may miss this game depending on what happens (or doesn’t) in Friday practice. The beauty of Breece Hall was that he handled around 20 touches per game and was a lock for a full-time workload. The Jets backfield is getting very hard to rely on right when fantasy playoffs are coming into focus.
2.) Deshaun Watson (CLE) – Needless to say, all everyone will watch Watson’s debut for the Browns against his old team. Maybe it won’t be much more than a rusty quarterback in new system that likes to run and he does starts slowly. Maybe having a playbook and some practice time is all he needed. Maybe the media, Houston fans, and potential protesters will make this all into a circus. At 4-7, the Browns have fallen from contention but there is every reason to want to end on a high note. This feels like a messy way to start.
It looks like Watson will be without David Njoku, so beware of assuming patterns to persist from his first game. It will also be interesting to see how much he runs.
3.)Â WR Rashid Shaheed (NO) –Â Speaking of teams that are no longer in contention, the 4-8 Saints are sticking (at least for now) with Andy Dalton as the starting quarterback. But they have ramped up the use of undrafted rookie wideout Shaheed. The ex-Weber State receiver played there for five years as a kick and punt returner and totaled 146 receptions. His small school and lack of production left him out of the NFL draft but he’s become the No. 3 wideout in New Orleans.
He played almost as many snaps as Chris Olave (38) or Jarvis Landry (32) last week and had 28 in Week 11. The Saints are giving him a chance to be more than just a returner. He ran in a 44-yard touchdown in Week 6 and then caught a 53-yard score in Week 7. He’s been sparsely used but last Sunday, he ran once for six yards and caught passes of 35- and 18-yards as the Saints started to explore their roster more. He’s done well in abbreviated use and they are looking to involve him more. He’s 6-0 and is estimated to run between 4.3 and 4.4 40-time.
4.) Houston offense – The Texans once again spent their season trying to get their offense to stop sputtering and gain some consistent firepower. That happened in part with Dameon Pierce, who exceeded all expectations with six games of 100+ total yards and four scores in the first nine games. But Week 11 versus the Commanders was just ten runs for eight yards. Week 12 saw the same eight yards on five rushes in the loss to Miami. The Texans lost almost all their previous games, so why stop handing off to the only thing that used to work?
HC Lovie Smith, no doubt feeling the weight of losing, said that the change in workload was related to the ground game not showing enough to warrant forcing the carries in the backfield. They are at that part of a season gone bad where the fans and owners need to see there is still an attempt to find something that works better, hence the change to Kyle Allen at quarterback. The Texans may continue to focus on the pass at the expense of Pierce. Allen threw 39 passes in his debut, while Davis Mills only turned in one of his ten starts with that many passes. It hasn’t changed much for Brandin Cooks or Nico Collins yet, but at least Jordan Akins had a season-high game last week.
5.)Â 49ers backfield – For a unit that has so much fantasy potential, it is just getting to be a bigger headache to expect reliable results. Elijah Mitchell is out again with a <just pick something> for the next six or eight weeks, which is another way to say “maybe the playoffs.” Deebo Samuel contributes as a running back but was held out of practice yesterday which was a downgrade from his limited work on Wednesday. Friday practice and the injury report will disclose his status, but he is not trending in the right direction. That leaves just Christian McCaffrey from the A-Team.
He left last week complaining about knee irritation and then missed practice on Wednesday. According to HC Kyle Shanahan, the problem was caused by his knee brace. McCaffrey said he would play this week, but he has made it deeper into this season than he did in 2020 or 2021. Just saying.
Even with McCaffrey there, the 49ers need to mix in one or two other backs. That should fall on Jordan Mason, Tyrion Price-Davis or even Tevin Coleman who is on the practice squad after being released earlier this season. The 49ers need at least one of them to assume the role for Elijah Mitchell. They may regret trading Jeff Wilson. If one of the three is allowed a significant amount of touches (compared to the other two backs), then he could offer surprising fantasy value and if McCaffrey was to miss time or be rested, it could allow one of the three to become a rarity – a new primary back in a great offense with good blocking in the final month of the season.
6.)Â WR DeSean Jackson (BAL) –Â Sure, he is 36 years old. He changed teams six times and hasn’t scored more than twice in a season since 2018. He’s played in just two games as a Raven, but last week his two catches for 74 yards included a 62-yard gain in the fourth quarter of the loss to the Jaguars. Rashod Bateman left in Week 9 and Devin Duvernay is locked under 25 yards per game. Demarcus Robinson had one good showing in Week 11 but only one catch last week.
Jackson is more of a Daily Fantasy play. The Ravens need the help in the passing offense and there are a few soft secondaries looming that he could potentially exploit – Steelers twice and the Falcons with their No. 32 ranked pass defense. Again – no one has gotten rich off Jackson in many years, but he could help the Ravens while offering a cheap Daily play with upside.
Akins told the media that the #Texans’ offensive tempo was a key part of their second-half comeback against the #Dolphins
The Houston Texans’ loss to the juggernaut Miami Dolphins was far more palatable at the final whistle than it appeared it might be at halftime. Fans knew that Houston was in for a beating heading into the matchup, but after being down 30 after two quarters, it seemed like a sick consolation prize for them to earn their defeat with just a 15-point deficit at the final whistle.
Tight end Jordan Akins was a key part of the Texans’ pseudo-comeback against the Dolphins and told reporters after the game that Houston’s conditioning seemed to play a factor in their second-half offensive surge.
“I feel like the tempo kind of wore them down,” Akins explained. “As I was out there on the field observing the defense, they were totally gassed. We run all day, every day. So I think we move better when we’re in rhythm and moving with a tempo as an offense.”
In a season where the Texans have disappointed in nearly every possible way, it is somewhat refreshing to hear that the team is staying physically fit if nothing else. There remains plenty of work to be done beyond cardio, though, if Houston intends to win their second game of the season.
One approach they could try, if Akins’ evaluation is to be believed, would be to run a high-tempo offense in all four quarters moving forward. If it worked against a team as sharp as Miami, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that the strategy might bear fruit against the 4-7 Cleveland Browns in Week 13.
The Texans desperately need a win to make their abysmal 2022 campaign more tolerable for their increasingly frustrated fanbase. Their best chance to gain credibility will come against their former quarterback and the Browns this weekend in what should be considered must-watch television on Sunday’s schedule.
Akins told reporters that the best thing that the #Texans can do after their loss to the #Dolphins is “flush it” and move on
Another week brought another Houston Texans loss on Sunday, this time at the hands of the juggernaut Miami Dolphins. Rarely has a professional football team looked so outmatched. The Texans went down 30-0 by halftime, and it seemed that nothing would go right for the team before they put up respectable numbers in the second half.
Tight end Jordan Akins was a key part of Houston’s offensive resurgence in the third and fourth quarters. He ended the game as the Texans’ leading receiver and caught a touchdown pass. He was asked after the game about how it feels to know that the six games remaining on the schedule are likely to be losses, and Akins left no doubt about his emotions in his response.
“Oh, very frustrating man – we hate to lose,” Akins told reporters. “You’re a competitor – if you’re in the NFL or any professional sport, you absolutely hate to lose. We try our best to flush it, but let it motivate you at the same time, and just to come out and do your job and do better the next game.”
This may be the most poignant response to any question asked of the Texans’ players after the horrendous showing against Miami. One can only assume his reference to “flushing it” was to compare Houston’s performance to excrement, which certainly seems fitting given their halftime deficit.
But not all was lost in this matchup. The Texans didn’t stand much of a chance from the outset and did well to end up losing by just 15 points. The offense hit its stride in the second half under new starting quarterback Kyle Allen, and Houston’s defense didn’t allow a single point after their collapse in the first two quarters.
Moving forward, the Texans would be wise to take any and all positives from their 15-point loss to the AFC’s second-best team and parlay them into a win next week against the 4-7 Cleveland Browns.
Houston Texans tight end Jordan Akins would not be denied.
The former 2018 third-round pick caught a simple check down from quarterback Kyle Allen with 12:55 to go in the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. The Texans trailed 30-6 against the Miami Dolphins, but Akins would not be denied.
The 6-4, 243-pounder, who has a knack for YAC, caught the pass on a second-and-6 and turned it into a 25-yard touchdown to help Houston chip into Miami’s lead 30-6.
Akins admitted to reporters on Nov. 15 that, “you get frustrated when you’re not winning.” The tight end took out those frustrations on Dolphins defenders to pick up his second touchdown of the season.
Akins’ two-catch performance against the #Commanders was enough to put him in second place on a #Texans all-time franchise leaderboard
With his two receptions for eight yards against the Washington Commanders in Week 11 Houston Texans tight end, Jordan Akins moved to second all-time on a key leaderboard in the team’s franchise history. Akins has been a key piece of the Texans’ offense in 2022 and has seen his usage gradually rise over the course of the season while he has been competing for more reps against former first-round pick O.J. Howard.
Though his raw numbers from Week 11 aren’t overly impressive, his 1499 yards receiving over the course of his career with the Texans have him positioned behind Owen Daniels at second place on the team’s all-time leaderboard for yardage by a tight end. The gap between him and Daniels is likely to be insurmountable at this point in Akins’ career, though it wouldn’t be out of the question to see the difference narrow in the coming weeks.
Hamstrung by inconsistent quarterback play, Akins has had a hard time breaking out in the Texans’ offense, but his explosive potential is evident on nearly every down he plays. His lanky frame and smooth stride are perfectly suited for jump-ball duties or routes run along the sidelines with space to work after the catch.
If he weren’t playing second-fiddle to Howard at this point in the season, Akins could be one of Houston’s leading receivers, and as the offense begins to experiment with new strategies, he may see his role expand over the Texans’ last seven games. The only uncertainty for Akins at this juncture of the season is whether he will be re-signed by Houston as part of their 2023 rebuild, or if he will need to pursue a contract elsewhere for next season.
Given the potential, he has shown and his accomplishments in a Texans uniform, the team’s front office should be expected to make every effort to keep Akins as a part of their plans moving forward.
Akins made his presence felt on offense and special teams for the #Texans against the #Giants in Week 10
While the Houston Texans may have taken a tough loss in Week 10 to the New York Giants, tight end Jordan Akins put together a solid performance with his contributions on offense and special teams. A reporter asked him for his evaluation of the effort he put out in the game in the Texans’ Tuesday press conference, and he made it seem like the strong showing was just another day at the office for him.
“[I’m] pretty much just doing my job whether it’s special teams, kickoff return,” Akins said. “I think I had some nice blocks that sprung number one [Tremon Smith] open a little bit. Open it up a little bit for the kickoff game. As far as the one play, just doing my job, blocking. Whenever I get an opportunity to make a play and then as well in the run game.”
Akins has seen his role in the Texans’ offense grow slowly this season, and the 30-year-old tight end is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. With more chances to see action in the coming weeks, and especially with rumors circulating that head coach Lovie Smith may look to re-shuffle the Texans’ offense to close out the season, Akins may find himself in a position to make an outsized impact for the team in their last eight games.
It should come as no surprise that Akins is excelling for Houston in his fifth season in the NFL given the experience he has playing for the team. A longtime Texan, he was initially selected by Houston in the third round of the 2018 draft and was only briefly away from the team earlier this season when he signed with the New York Giants back in April.
He found his way back to the team after being cut in August, and has shown fans why his inclusion on the Texans’ 53-man roster is warranted at every step of the 2022 season.
Hamilton said that the flexibility tight ends give his offense can be a major edge for the #Texans against opposing defenses
Tight end Jordan Akins had a strong showing for the Houston Texans last week against the Las Vegas Raiders, and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton is looking to get him involved early and often against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. In his comments to the media on Thursday, Hamilton pointed out a few different ways that he likes to use players at the position and said that the flexibility to run or pass in sets that feature tight ends gives the offense more options on any given down.
“Ultimately, we like giving the presentation to the defense that we can run and or pass the ball. The biggest challenge for any offense and for the quarterback specifically is for the defense to really hunker down and defend one thing. When they put extra hats in the box to defend the run, we want to have the ability to attack them with the passing game. Be it the play action passing game, quarterback movements, whatever it is.
“It’s also the same concept when you talk about two safety coverages, middle open coverages as we call it, just having the ability in that situation to feel good about those guys who are pass receivers being able to play without the ball and win their matchup. Blocking really good defense ends that we face in this league play after play.”
It will take some nifty schemes to get Houston back above .500 before the season ends, and as the weeks pass by, it seems unlikely that the team is playing for anything except their pride. Still, in the early stages of a rebuild, the Texans can look to formulate different aspects of their game plan that might serve to help them in the coming seasons.
If they can start with some crafty usage of their tight ends, the reps they get in through the rest of their schedule may be the key to finding winning strategies next season after they’ve reloaded with more offensive talent.
