There was only one game in the six-game Davis Mills era wherein the rookie played with promise: Oct. 10 versus the New England Patriots.
The third-rounder from Stanford led the offense going 21-of-29 for 312 yards, three touchdowns, and a 141.7 passer rating. It was the closest the Texans would have to winning a game during his time under center as New England prevailed 25-22 at NRG Stadium.
Houston could have beaten the Patriots that day. The Texans led 22-15 going into the fourth quarter. The passing game was clicking, and aside from garbage time against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8, it has been nowhere near as productive since.
With the Texans turning to Mills for the final five games of the season, the question is whether or not he will be able to replicate the performance he generated against New England, who is now atop the AFC with a 9-4 record.
“As an offense as a whole, I thought we just executed the plan really well that week,” Mills said. “We got a chance to make some big plays and kind of turned some routine plays into big ones, as well, especially with that Chris Moore touchdown on the right sideline.”
Mills connected with Moore on a 67-yard touchdown pass that put Houston ahead 12-6 early in the second quarter. Moore finished the game with five catches for 109 yards and a touchdown, by far the best game of his six-year career.
The rookie signal caller knows that the offense starts with him, and he has to be on point.
Said Mills: “Really just going out there and doing my job to the best of my ability and then letting the guys play well around me.”
Houston gets to see what the new Mills era looks like Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time when he returns under center against the Seattle Seahawks at NRG Stadium.
