If the most recent Houston Texans injury report didn’t provide you with enough bad news for the day, buckle up: head coach DeMeco Ryans announced starting quarterback CJ Stroud currently remains in concussion
protocol, and will miss Houston’s Week 10 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This comes as a massive gut punch to the entire Houston Texans organization and fanbase, who are still reeling from the last-second loss to the Denver Broncos. Sitting with a 3-5 record, the Texans can’t afford many more, if any, losses for the rest of the season, and now one of their franchise leaders will be unavailable in the next game.
In Stroud’s place steps fifth year quarterback Davis Mills, who will make his first start since that legendary 2022 season finale against the Indianapolis Colts. Even though it was a completely meaningless game between two bad teams, Mills’ took advantage of this last start and went 22 of 38 (57.9 Cmp%) for 298 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 87.4 passer rating. And, lest us never forgot the veritable, incomparable, mini hail-mary:
This ridiculous touchdown pass, followed up by the game-winning two-point conversion, would end up knocking the Texans out of the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft and into the second pick – where they would select none other than CJ Stroud. This seemingly meaningless game has since gone down in the history books of Texans fans and draftnicks alike, becoming a game that would have a butterfly effect on multiple NFL teams.
Unfortunately, Davis Mills did not inspire as much hype and excitement when filling in for Stroud in last week’s game against the Broncos. Filling in for CJ Stroud after he exited the game last Sunday, Mills went 17 of 30 for 137 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, a 68.3 passer rating, and precisely one first down in the entire second half. Yeah…ew. The pressure will be on Mills next Sunday as well, facing a division rival that Houston has already lost to earlier in the season. If the Texans want to give themselves even a shadow of a chance of winning the AFC South for the third time in a row, winning this game will be paramount.
Seasoned Davis Mills viewers know that the Jaguar’s game can go one of two directions: either Davis Mills will throw dime after dime down the hashes, cut up the middle of the Jags’ defense and go full gunslinger, or he will be one of the most inaccurate and inefficient quarterbacks you’ve ever seen step onto the gridiron. Mills’ short career as a starter in Houston was marred by frustrating inconsistency, but general manager Nick Caserio’s decision to stick with his very first draft pick in Houston by giving him a one-year, $7 million extension signals confidence that he’s become a reliable backup. So, despite the recent sampling, it’s safe to say anything can happen against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
What do you think, though? Will Davis Mills return to the highs we saw against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021 or the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, or will he crumble under the pressure of making his first start in over two years? Personally, even though I was once brandished the Mills flag proudly, I’m still a little burned by last week’s second half disaster, so I’m cautiously optimistic. Let us know your thoughts on Mills down in the comments below!
GO TEXANS!!!
