The entire game was in Davis Mills’ hands.
The Houston Texans’ quarterback was dependable with 1:13 to go in Week 3 at the Chicago Bears. The Texans were tied 20-20 and facing a third-and-1 from their own 26-yard line.
Mills was 20-of-31 for 245 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He had managed the game to possibly give Houston a close win at Soldier Field.
As Mills sought a checkdown for running back Rex Burkhead, former Texans defensive end Angelo Blackson reached up at the line of scrimmage to deflect Mills’ pass. Linebacker Roquan Smith intercepted the ball and returned it to the Texans’ 12-yard line, allowing Chicago to give Cairo Santos a shot at a 30-yard walk-off field goal.
Mills explained what he was thinking on his final throw of the game when he met with reporters following the loss that sends Houston to 0-2-1 on the season.
“It’s tough,” said Mills. “We talked about it a lot, tipped balls never touch the ground. Got through my progression, made the correct read, had Rex open and the ball got tipped at the line. Nothing I could really do about it there. Good play by the defense. Just unfortunate down in the red zone, too; turned the ball over, and with an opportunity we could go down and score a touchdown.”
The Texans had other missed opportunities throughout the ballgame. Rookie safety Jalen Pitre picked off Bears quarterback Justin Fields twice, and the Texans weren’t able to generate a solitary point off the two takeaways.
“At this point we’ve got to take advantage of all those opportunities, scoring touchdowns and kicking field goals and turning the ball over,” Mills said. “It’s tough.”
The Texans head home to take on the Los Angeles Chargers for Week 4 at NRG Stadium. The West Coast visitors will kickoff against the Texans at 12:00 p.m. Central Time on Oct. 2.
