The Houston Texans got off to a fast start against the San Francisco 49ers in the preseason finale Aug. 25 at NRG Stadium.
On the Texans’ opening drive after fielding a San Francisco punt, quarterback Davis Mills led the offense on an 11-play, 85-yard drive that resulted in rookie running back Dameon Pierce scoring a 1-yard touchdown. The Texans offense looked on-point and ready for the regular season.
The Texans’ second through fifth drives were bland as they culminated in two three-and-outs, an interception in the red zone, and a punt after a six-play drive.
However, the spice was back on the Texans’ opening drive of the third quarter when Mills led Houston on a six-play, 77-yard drive that resulted in a 16-yard touchdown pass to receiver Chris Moore to push Houston ahead 14-0 with 11:31 to go in the third quarter.
According to Mills, nothing changed in the way the Texans were calling the game.
“I mean, we just kept calling our stuff,” Mills told reporters after the 17-0 win. “Obviously you get a little mental reset at halftime, make sure what you thought you were getting in the first half from the defense, making sure that’s accurate with what you thought and what you’re actually going to get in the second half, too. Just wanted to come out and put together a drive at the start of the half and go down and get points. That’s what we did.”
Mills finished the game going 6-of-10 for 58 yards, a touchdown, an interception, took two sacks, and posted a 70.0 passer rating. The second-year signal caller wasn’t prolific with his stats, but managed the Texans’ drives and manufactured touchdowns.
Houston, who finishes the preseason 3-0, will take on the Indianapolis Colts Sept. 11 at NRG Stadium to kickoff the regular season. The expectation is offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton will continue to have the Texans call their stuff.
