Houston Texans: Watch Davis Mills, Antony Auclair strike first vs Patriots

It was the Houston Texans duo of rookie quarterback Davis Mills and tight end Antony Auclair who struck first for the home team, putting the Texans ahead by a 6-0 score.

Mills found the tight end Auclair for an 11-yard touchdown with 4:54 left in the first quarter. The bad part was kicker Kaʻimi Fairbairn missed the PAT, resulting in a six-point lead and not seven points.

Going into this game, Auclair had no receptions on three targets in 2021, so this was an excellent way for the Texans’ tight end to make his first reception of the season. The touchdown catch in the first quarter was also Auclair’s first career NFL touchdown.

Below is the touchdown pass from Mills to Auclair, as the pass was thrown through the Patriots’ defense in Week 5 at NRG Stadium:

Houston Texans: Early touchdown is an improvement from last week

Maybe the best part about this touchdown was it led the Houston Texans to score points in the first quarter, and they had a drive that chipped away at the defense of New England. This was a drive that allowed the Texans’ offense to gain some much needed momentum.

This touchdown drive had a total of two plays to go for 10 or more yards with the other play being a 10-yard catch by running back David Johnson.

Houston’s first offensive drive of the game – which went for 79 yards – is exactly what they needed to accomplish following last week’s 40-point loss to the Bills. It was good to see some tough short-yardage runs, the team take advantage of some penalties, and leave the field with six points off a touchdown.

Now we’ll wait and see if the offense can continue to put points up against the Patriots’ defense. For the sake of the Texans and their defense, maybe another long drive is what this team needs.