NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Heading into the fourth quarter of the game against the Tennessee Titans, trailing 14-10, Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton had the decision to make.
Continue with the two-quarterback system of Davis Mills and Jeff Driskel, or abandon it and just let one quarterback finish out the game.
The element of surprise that Driskel added to the offense had not been as effective as it was in the past two games against the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs. Mills was no better, as he struggled to move the ball efficiently and even gave the ball away on an interception in the third quarter on a pass intended for Brandin Cooks.
In his first year calling the plays, Hamilton has received a lot of criticism for his late-game calls but had found a small groove two weeks ago by throwing in the element of surprise with both quarterbacks alternating offensive series.
Hamilton decided that the best chance the team had of winning the game against their divisional foe was to stick with Mills, and that decision paid off as the Texans broke their season-long nine-game losing streak with a 19-14 win over the Titans.
Mills was perfect in the fourth quarter completing all nine pass attempts for 103 yards and one touchdown. After rookie linebacker Jake Hansen forced a fumble on Titans running back Derrick Henry, Mills led them on a 54-yard scoring drive that ended with a 22-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn to bring the score to 14-13.
After the Texans’ defense stopped the Titans on fourth down, Mills was given the opportunity to lead the offense again, and he made the best of it. On consecutive plays, he completed perfect downfield passes to receivers Phillip Dorsett (20 yards) and Amari Rodgers (37 yards) to put Houston inside the Tennessee red zone.
“Davis (Mills) always stays even keel no matter what is going on,” said Texans WR Brandin Cooks about the poise Mills showed in the fourth quarter in the win over the Tennessee Titans. #WeAreTexans #Sarge @TheTexansWire pic.twitter.com/qaVwWm7fG0
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) December 25, 2022
Royce Freeman gained four yards on first down to get the Texans to the 6-yard line, and Mills completed the drive with a touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks in the back of the end zone to give the Texans the lead at 19-14.
“It was one of those things where Pep was being patient and calling the right play at the right time,” said Cooks when asked about the play call on the 6-yard touchdown pass from Mills. “He just let his guys go out there and win.”
Cooks also praised Mills for his poise during that final scoring drive.
“Davis always stays even keel no matter what is going on,” Cooks elaborated when asked about his quarterback. “He kinds of tunes out all of the outside noise and tries to focus on getting this team a win.”
The season has been a rocky one for Mills, who has received constant criticism of his play and was benched for two games due to ineffectiveness. As the season is slowly ending, the win came at the right time for him.
“It’s awesome,” Mills said about the Christmas Eve victory. “Great feeling getting the win coming off that against a divisional opponent. Ready to go home for Christmas.”
