Houston Texans: Did we just see Deshaun Watson’s replacement shine on Sunday?

It’s been a rough rookie season for Davis Mills and the Houston Texans.

It’s okay to admit that being drafted to the Houston Texans in 2021 during the initial Deshaun Watson firestorm is not an ideal place to go. Davis Mills had the thrill of being the Texans’ first draft pick in April’s set of selections.

It only took two weeks for the third-round Stanford product to see the field, and there were ups and downs since that time. However, on Sunday, Mills took the biggest step forward of his fledgling NFL career. Mills completed 23 of 30 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns.

Before all the trolls come in to remind the world that the New England Patriots are uncharacteristically underperforming under the legend Bill Belichick, that’s exactly the reason Houston Texans fans need to be excited.

We all know Belichick gets the most out of rather unknown players, and despite New England’s 2021 season record, if you can perform well against “The Hoodie”, chances are you’re going to make it in the NFL.

Yes, it’s one game and that’s a ridiculously small sample size. The “time will tell” bit can be inserted here.  There is excitement with Mills when he is allowed to throw the ball downfield. Mills’ 312 yards make for the 9th-best passing outing since 2020 when Watson was still playing.

Did Davis Mills take away the pain of the Deshaun Watson saga for the Houston Texans?

It’s safe to say no one saw this coming from Mills and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly. To take Mills’ QBR from last week (23.4) and transform that into an incredible 141.7 is something to have faith in. The best call was the flea-flicker, and using a trick play to score on Belichick (the unofficial master of trick plays) was awesome.

This is exactly the depth that Head Coach David Culley wanted to have when he and General Manager Nick Caserio drafted Mills in April. To have this behind a serviceable veteran like Tyrod Taylor upon returning is only going to make the Houston Texans that much better.

Mills’ performance also helped quench the thirst of which Texans fans needed- good quarterback play. Heck, they even had a 13-point lead on Belichick’s squad at one point! There are signs of life with this team, and maybe they don’t need the biggest highway robbery in terms of a trade for Deshaun Watson.

November 2nd is approaching fast. These next two weeks may determine what Houston does with their former franchise quarterback on the bench and their next one who actually plays.