Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills has built momentum with the team’s two-game winning streak.
The third-round rookie from Stanford has accumulated a 110.5 passer rating and taken just two sacks. However, Mills will be facing immense pressure in Week 17 when the Texans travel to Levi’s Stadium to face the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco has two playmakers off the edge in Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.
“Big thing is just knowing where [Bosa] at on the field, being able to mix up the cadence so he can’t get a jump on our offensive linemen and beat him off the ball,” said Mills. “Also, we have protection stuff where we can get a little help to our tackles if he’s coming off the edge too fast, so we’ll be able to figure it out that way.”
Bosa has generated 15.0 sacks and 19 tackles for loss through 15 games, earning his second Pro Bowl.
To handle Warner, Mills will also have to keep track of him.
Said Mills: “A lot of it, like with Bosa, just knowing where they’re at on the field. A lot of it is with scheme. We’re able to do some stuff with backfield actions, play actions, and just make a lot of things look similar but end up in a different result or a different place. Just keep those guys guessing as much as possible so that we can slow them down.”
The 49ers have plenty to play for as the Los Angeles Chargers did in Week 16. San Francisco is 8-7 and have possession of the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs. With the 49ers starting rookie quarterback Trey Lance for the second time this season, they will need to play complementary football, which will include giving Houston’s rookie signal caller another rude welcoming to the NFL.