Davis Mills has been a rock for the Houston Texans this season, even if their record isn’t totally reflective of his capable performance. The team is in the midst of a situation that will develop into a rebuild starting in the offseason and is focused on building any momentum they can against every opponent.
One way that they improved in Week 7 was on third down, converting on nine of 15 attempts for first downs. Though this didn’t help them avoid a blowout against the Las Vegas Raiders, Mills reflected on how his squad managed to put up those impressive numbers in his post-game press conference on Sunday.
“We were seeing it really well,” Davis said of the third-down situations. “We got a little extra time this week with the bye to game plan third down, so everyone was on the same page. We had a lot of reps at it during the week and we just went out and executed and did our jobs. The offensive line protected really well with their guys up front who were putting stress on us, but I thought we stood up to the challenge and we were moving the ball on third down and getting conversions.”
These crucial downs could play a key factor in the Texans’ success moving forward and may prove to be the difference in whether they can rack up a few more wins before the season ends. Davis’ role in these situations will be crucial to Houston’s continued improvement in high-pressure circumstances, and with a little more work, third-downs could prove to be a strong suit for Houston’s offense.
For a team that is looking for any positives they can find in their performances on a week-to-week basis, this critical aspect of their effort against the Raiders may serve as a jumping-off point for their preparation for the Tennessee Titans in Week 8.
