The Houston Texans were struggling on offense with Davis Mills as the starting quarterback.
Houston went 1-8-1 with Mills through the first 10 games and his last outing was an atrocious 23-10 loss to Washington that featured 147 yards of total offense inside the climate-controlled setting of NRG Stadium.
The Texans went with Kyle Allen as the starter for the next two games, but sometimes the cure can be worse than the illness. The Texans offense committed eight turnovers in that span.
Houston decided to go back with Mills as the starter. The second-year field general will lead the Texans against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Mills was similarly benched in his rookie year after an 0-6 start, which was due to an injury to starter Tyrod Taylor in Week 2. When Taylor returned, the offense sputtered, and then-coach David Culley went back to Mills for the final five games with the passing game coming alive.
Coach Lovie Smith, who was defensive coordinator on the 2021 staff, believes Mills can benefit from his two-game benching the way he did from his four-game benching as a rookie.
“When you’ve had an opportunity to play, sit back and then come back, we’re hoping that’s the case,” Smith told reporters Wednesday. “When he came back the next time last year, the second time, he played a lot better. If you’re a competitor, when you’re not playing your best ball, I keep going back to the baseball comparison, sometimes you don’t have it, and you need to just take a step back.”
Mills has provided Houston with a 78.1 passer rating, but Smith hopes the Texans will get even better production from the 2021 third-rounder from Stanford.
“I know most of the time when guys come back, we’re going to get their best,” said Smith. “That’s what we need right now. It’s just not about the quarterback position, but there’s something, starting off with ball security. We’re losing too many games just based on giving them the ball. It starts with that position.”
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