Davis Mills lobbed the football, delivering an accurate spiral toward the sideline and the outstretched hands of Texans tight end Jordan Akins.
It was a clutch throw from the Texans starting quarterback to convert a key third down that led up to rookie running back Dameon Pierce scoring the game-winning touchdown in a 13-6 road victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mills being body-slammed to the ground by Jaguars rookie Travon Walker on that drive for a roughing the passer penalty was another key play in a sequence highlighted by Pierce’s epic tackle-breaking display.
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Overall, though, Mills operated in more of a game manager role after throwing a combined four interceptions during losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Chicago Bears. As Mills seeks to establish himself as the Texans’ long-term answer and QB1 going forward, he’s had an underwhelming five games for the 1-3-1 AFC South squad heading into a bye before a road game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Following an encouraging end to his rookie season with a 102.4 passer rating, 1,258 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions in the final five games of 2021, Mills’ production and efficiency are down this year. He has completed 62.7 percent of his throws, down from 66.8 percent as a rookie, for 1,048 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions for an 80.6 passer rating, down from 88.8 last year.
He’s averaging 6.8 yards per attempt, same as last year, and 6.3 average air yards per throw, down from 6.8 as a rookie. And the Texans rank 27th in scoring offense, 17.2 points per game, 29th in total offense and 26th in passing offense.
Most importantly against the Jaguars, Mills took care of the football. He had no interceptions or touchdowns, completing 16 of 24 passes for 140 yards.
“I think overall as a team we just need to be more consistent with our performance,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said. “There’s been some good things, there’s been some things that we can certainly do better. To put Davis in that category, I think it’s more emblematic of the team more than anything else and making it about one player. Had some moments as a team. We could have better moments. If we do that, hopefully that’ll lead to more wins.”
Mills has had his moments, including muscling a 58-yard throw to wide receiver Nico Collins against the Chargers with the former Michigan standout combining for seven receptions for 147 yards over the past two games.
Meanwhile, the production of veteran standout wide receiver Brandin Cooks has decreased as the strong connection they built last year hasn’t translated into much chemistry this year with errant throws and questionable timing. Cooks has 24 catches for 235 yards and one touchdown on 42 targets, down from 90 receptions for 1,037 yards and six touchdowns on 134 targets last season. This year, Cooks is on pace for 81 catches for 799 yards.
Where Mills has struggled the most is on third down and in the fourth quarter.
He has completed 26 of 49 passes on third downs for 254 yards, no touchdowns and one interception for a 53.06 passer rating. Comparatively, on first down, Mills has completed 45 of 63 passes for 537 yards, 71.43 completion percentage for three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Mills has had plenty of time to throw. He has been sacked just 12 times, a percentage of 6.7 percent. Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil has allowed just four pressures and one sack, fourth among offensive tackles while right tackle Tytus Howard has surrendered just seven pressures, 13th in the NFL. Mills has been pressured just 24 percent of the time, ranking ninth in the NFL among starting quarterbacks, according to Next Gen Stats.
In the fourth quarter, Mills has completed just 21 of 40 passes (52.5 percent) for one touchdown and two interceptions for a 61.7 passer rating. His most successful quarter? The third, during which he has completed 32 of 42 passes (75.19 percent) for 319 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 113.1 passer rating.
Despite some of the issues Mills has experienced, it’s obvious he has made some strides in terms of fundamentals and nuances of his game.
Mills has displayed an ability to slide in the pocket and get to his second and third progressions, seeing the field with improved vision. Mills is operating under a higher degree of difficulty now with offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton asking more from him.
“Continued growth, just look at his play,” Texans coach Lovie Smith said of Mills’ performance against the Jaguars. “It was a tight game. You had two quarterbacks on the football field. One thing you have to do is protect the football. He did a good job of that, made some timely throws. We’re talking about to Nico Collins, Brandin Cooks, Jordan Akins, some of the guys getting involved in the passing game with Davis making those throws.
“I like what he’s done. I like the direction he’s heading and how’s he trending. Excited about the second quarter of our season with Davis leading us. What we want him to do is just continue to learn from things that are happening each week, and I know that’s what he’s going to do.”
Mills is not consumed with the big picture. He’s focused on the next pass, the next practice, the next game. Thoughts of whether he’s doing enough to convince Caserio to not pursue a quarterback in free agency or a first-round draft pick on Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud or Alabama standout Bryce Young isn’t how Mills spends his time.
“There are pressures in being the starting quarterback,” Mills said earlier this season. “I’m not looking that far ahead of it. I’m taking this really one practice at a time, one week at a time right now. I’m just going out there, putting my best foot forward each day for my teammates and trying to win games.”
Mills is 3-12-1 overall since his arrival in Houston, passing for 3,721 career yards, 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
The identity of the Texans’ offense has shifted dramatically. It’s a smash-mouth approach built around Pierce’s hard-nosed running style.
“Just the energy he brings day in and day out, it rubs off on everybody on the team, and we want to rally behind that, and we want to fight for him,” Mills said. “I know the offensive line does especially, and the defense, they stayed on the sideline, see how hard we’re fighting and playing out there, and they want to do the same and try to get the ball back to us so we can continue driving the ball down the field and get points.
“We’ve just got to continue to mix it up throughout the season. If you show something one game, you’ve got to come back and potentially run it the next game and try to execute,and if you don’t want to run that, show something else to keep the defenses guessing. I think we kind of found our identity, being a run-first football team downhill, and we did that efficiently. And then we had to make some plays in the passing game when we needed to.”
Aaron Wilson is a Pro Football Network reporter and a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com