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.