Davis Mills has already watched “a ton of film” on the New York Giants defense.
“They like to bring a ton of pressure,” the Houston Texans’ quarterback told reporters Nov. 9. “We’ll be ready for it.”
The Texans have had some difficulty with containing opposing pass rushes in the past two weeks. The Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9 and the Tennessee Titans in Week 8 each dropped Mills three times during their victories over the Texans.
Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has led the Giants with 4.0 sacks in new defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale’s system. Internal pressure up the middle will be a challenge for Houston rookie guard Kenyon Green to protect against.
Even though the Giants have generated 16 sacks, tied for the eighth-fewest in the league, they may come alive against Houston. Nevertheless Mills is aware of how the Texans can neutralize New York’s pass rush.
“First, we’ve got to be able to run the ball,” Mills explained. “If we catch them on a pressure and gash them on a run, that could be a big play. We’ve already been on top of it starting off this week with the protection plan in passing scenarios, how we’re going to treat their different looks.”
Mills also believes the Texans will have to coordinate and synchronize what they are seeing on the field.
Said Mills: “Make sure we’re on the same page. We know there’s going to be some new things we haven’t seen. A lot of the stuff they bring is game plan related. We’ve just got to be ready for it and be ready to adjust in that way.”
Arguably the biggest way to neutralize the Giants’ pass rush is to avoid longer lines to gain on third down.
“Another big thing we have been talking about is just stay out of third-and-long, those are situations where every team in the league picks up their pressure percentage,” Mills said. “Stay out of those situations so we can be clean out there on Sunday.”
The Texans have not beaten the Giants since 2002 and are 1-4 in the all-time series.
