In many aspects, things couldn’t have gone much better for the Houston Texans than they did on Sunday.
Buy Texans TicketsOpposing quarterback Russell Wilson went only 14 of 31 passing for the day while Denver’s offense absolutely sputtered to just 16 points. Rather than lean into their rushing game that was averaging 4.8 yards per carry, rookie coach Nathaniel Hackett frequently went to the passing game where the Texans held their own. This came in addition to a multitude of mistakes from Hackett that left Houston coach Lovie Smith looking far superior in the contest.
However, despite all of the greatness from Smith’s defense, it ultimately wasn’t enough for Houston as the team fell 16-9 in Denver. Almost all of that blame will fall on offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and second-year quarterback Davis Mills.
Davis Mills looked overwhelmed today. Missed way too many easy throws. The Texans will draft a QB in round 1 if this is who he is. I like Mills, but today he missed throws any QB can make. Bums me out! You have to elevate the team!
— Sean Salisbury (@SeanUnfiltered) September 18, 2022
Mills completed just 19 of his 38 pass attempts (50%) for only 177 yards with no touchdowns or no turnovers. Meanwhile, the offense as a whole struggled to generate first downs and played a game which will primarily be remembered for the mistakes.
Left tackle Laremy Tunsil was called for a crucial holding penalty on a play that would have seen Mills scramble into the red zone. Star wide receiver Brandin Cooks dropped a wide open touchdown on a day where he struggled with only four catches for 54 yards on 10 targets. The offensive line as a whole surrendered three sacks and was flagged for multiple penalties throughout the day.
Hamilton called an unremarkable game that likely leaned too heavily on the run. Mills wasn’t allowed to open the offense vertically until late into the game trying to orchestrate a game-winning drive and, at that point, was unable to hit the necessary throws. He made true on his promise to try to get receiver Nico Collins more involved but the second year wideout had just four catches for 58 yards on the nine targets that went his way.
All of these contributing factors cannot mask an ugly truth: Mills just wasn’t good enough.
Davis Mills just cannot hit those intermediate comeback routes so far this season. They're throws that need to be fast and on the money to be a high-level NFL quarterback.
Will be one of his biggest 'must-improves' for the next 15 games. He has the opportunity still #WeAreTexans
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) September 18, 2022
Mills struggled to make necessary throws with velocity to the sidelines, took unnecessary sacks, and ultimately failed to engineer enough scoring drives during a game that the defense played more than well enough to win. It was the type of game that Houston will have to win if they ever want to be a playoff contender and Mills sadly failed the test.
Houston lacks the offensive playmakers to be a high caliber offense and generally needs everything to click perfectly and without mistakes in order to score big points. That did not happen today and some of the poor plays from Mills, and his own lack of risk taking, contributed heavily.
I'm not ready to call it yet on the Davis Mills experiment but a lot will have to improve over the next 15 games if you're not going to consider drafting a rookie.
Things could get ugly quickly if he can't deliver against Chicago and Jacksonville. 0-1-1. #WeAreTexans
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) September 18, 2022
Mills still has 15 games, or 60 remaining quarters, with Hamilton to prove that he can serve as the Texans’ franchise quarterback. The former Stanford product will need to show an ability to elevate the offense on subpar days rather than be dragged down with it to discourage general manager Nick Caserio from looking elsewhere at the position.
Mills’ next chance will come against the Chicago Bears, Smith’s old team from 2004-12. The Bears also have another member of the 2021 NFL draft class in Justin Fields, who will provide a measurable contrast to Mills.
