The Houston Texans have some fantastic players on their team, but the negatives stand out the most. The Texans had a very winnable game against the Bears, and there is no reason the Texans should have ended with a 23-20 loss in Chicago.
So what went wrong against the Bears? Here are three takeaways from the Week 3 game in Chicago:
Texans Takeaway No. 3: Davis Mills has regressed
Texans quarterback Davis Mills has not looked impressive in the least bit these last two games. Instead, he has looked terrible, nothing like he did last season. Mills still doesn’t look through his progressions, and he misses wide open receivers often. The second-year quarterback is now checking the ball down without taking the chance on a larger receiver coming down with a ball, or he fails to see receivers wide open downfield.
Mills’ decision-making looks horrible, but it’s surprisingly not all his fault. He is receiving awful play calls with the wrong personnel in the game. Mills does not seem to have the ability to read through progressions, and unless this changes in the coming weeks, it is looking grim for the current starting quarterback.
Fans will be itching to look at NFL mock drafts this early in the season to see who might be available next April in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Texans Takeaway No. 2: Pep Hamilton be out the door?
Offensive Coordinator Pep Hamilton had some questionable play calling in the first two games of the 2022 season, but he saved the worst that far against the Bears in Week 3. Hamilton had some awful decisions, one being having Rex Burkhead in the fourth quarter when it matters most instead of rookie Dameon Pierce. That decision is not fathomable because Pierce was dominant the entire game.
Mills targeted wide receiver Brandin Cooks seven times in Week 3, and he could only haul in two receptions. Cooks was covered all game. Hamilton should notice this and make adjustments, but nope.
The Texans have a 0-34 point differential in the fourth quarter this season. The defense should not be the one to blame, and they had their issues, but the offense is pathetic, mainly Mills and Hamilton. Suppose Hamilton has one more poor play-calling game when the improvements are apparent. I would not be shocked if it was sooner.
Texans Takeaway No. 1: Missed Tackles are the defensive issue
The Texans’ pass defense looked pretty solid, only giving up 106 yards in the air, while the rookies looked fantastic. Jalen Pitre had two interceptions and a sack and he was doing it all. Derek Stingley Jr. was rarely targeted and was only shown during the game when he made tackles.
The run defense is atrocious, and the Texans can fix it by making a tackle. The number of missed tackles by the Texans’ front secondary is unacceptable. If the Texans can make a tackle, this defense would be a strong suit for the team, but that is very much in question as if it will improve, but it should be a bit.