The score from Sunday’s loss against the Las Vegas Raiders would tell the average football fan that the Houston Texans were blown out at Allegiant Stadium. Individuals who watched the game will tell you it was very competitive until midway through the fourth quarter.
Throughout the game, offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and quarterback Davis Mills had worked on an offensive game plan during the bye week to keep the Raiders’ defense off-balance.
If defensive coordinator Lovie Smith had done the same thing, the Texans would be facing the Tennessee Titans this Sunday with a two-game winning streak.
I digress.
Mills and Hamilton’s game plan had a mixture of run and pass plays that neutralized the Raiders’ defensive front seven, including defensive end Maxx Crosby whose disruptive play this season has caused a lot of havoc for opposing teams. He has six sacks on the season, which ranks him in the top five in that category.
But the plan could only work if Mills was given the time to operate in the pocket, which he could do with the offensive line’s play, which kept him upright by only allowing one sack for the entire game.
“Honestly, this is one of the more explosive games we have had,” said Texans RB Dameon Pierce after Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. #WeAreTexans #Sarge @IRep229 @TheTexansWire pic.twitter.com/3VwBkCLE1o
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) October 26, 2022
It was the third game this season that the offensive line only allowed one sack. Mills had his best game of the season with 302 yards passing and two touchdowns.
“It is our job to make him feel comfortable back there,” said Tytus Howard. The quarterback is always going to do his best to get the offense in the best position possible. He (Mills) is getting better every week.
For as much criticism as the offensive line gets on a week-to-week basis, they have been very good in pass protection this season, only allowing a combined 13 through the first seven weeks, which has them tied for tenth place in the NFL. Over the last 23 games, they have given up 57 sacks, equating to 2.4 per game. That isn’t bad for a unit in disarray due to injuries and roster changes.
Keeping Mills clean in the pocket is only half the offensive line’s job. The other responsibility is to create running lanes for rookie running back Dameon Pierce, and they are also very efficient in doing that. The fourth-round selection out of the University of Florida has rushed for over 500 yards in six games and has averaged 20 carries and 107 yards per game in his last three games.
Pierce, 22, believes that the Texans are on the brink of success. All they have to do is put together a complete game.
“This thing is coming together, and it is going to come together real soon,” Pierce said after the Sunday game.
