The Houston Texans have benefited from adding three-time Pro Bowl running back Mark Ingram to the locker room for his leadership.
With quarterback Tyrod Taylor on injured reserve with a strained hamstring, starting quarterback falls to third-round rookie Davis Mills. Through six quarters of play, the Texans have dropped two games and the offense looks stuck in 1987 with 247.5 yards of total offense generated in the past two weeks.
According to Ingram, he doesn’t need to expand his role as a vocal leader in order to help Mills, who will be making his second career start Sunday at Highmark Stadium against the 2-1 Buffalo Bills.
“I don’t do anything extra,” said Ingram. “I just stay the course. Obviously, we let him know that we have his back and that he doesn’t have to do too much, he doesn’t have to do all this on his own. And that he can lean on us because we have his back. It’s not all on him, it’s on all of us. We want to make his job easier.”
So far, the running game has done anything but make Mills’ job easier. In Week 2, the rushing attack churned 82 yards, and in Week 3, Houston collected only 42 yards on the ground.
To beat the Bills, the Texans will need the combination of takeaways and a ball control offense.
Said Ingram: “We want to preform to the best of our abilities, and we want to do our best so he can shine, and he can do his job. I don’t do anything out of the ordinary or anything extra. Just support him. Encourage him. Let him know we have his back.”
Mills has completed 27 passes on 46 attempts for 270 yards, two touchdowns, an interception, an 80.9 passer rating, and taken five sacks. The former Stanford quarterback also has a 5.9 yards per pass attempt.