The Houston Texans were in a familiar place down by a touchdown and facing a fourth-and-20 from the Indianapolis Colts’ 28-yard line.
The Texans trailed 31-24 to the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Houston had lost six games by one score. How was Week 18 going to be any different?
“We’re motioning to empty and everyone is basically running down the field and getting in the end zone,” quarterback Davis Mills said. “I’ve got to buy enough time to find somebody who’s open. I felt like everybody was pretty much covered.”
Mills threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Akins, his second scoring grab of the game. The touchdown pulled Houston within one of the Colts, 31-30, with 58 seconds left in the game.
“They did a good job defending it, dropping a lot of guys deep, and kind of just threw one up to Jordan, and he ended up making a play,” said Mills. “It was awesome.”
Mills, who went 22-of-38 for 298 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions, knew that the end zone was going to be crowded on what was presumably the Texans’ last offensive play of the game.
“I think they covered him, there might have been two or three guys around him, but I thought he was my best guy to go up and make a play right there and trusted him to do that, and he scored,” Mills said. “It was awesome.”
Mills admitted that the last play had an element of fortune to it along with some skill.
“Sometimes it boils down to that,” Mills said. “You’ve got to get lucky.”
The desperation touchdown was followed up by a two-point conversion from the Texans. Mills found Akins, and the Texans ended up winning the game 32-31, and giving the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft to the Chicago Bears.
