Let's start here: I've been trying to write this article, literally, for well over an hour. Numerous intros have been authored to account for constantly changing headlines based the various ebs and flows of the game. Fortunately for those who visit Toro Times with any degree of regularity -- or those who bet the Texans -1.5 on Sunday afternoon -- the final headline you see above is a favorable one.
Despite trailing 29-10 going into the 4th quarter, the Houston Texans some how and some way emerged with a win at NRG Stadium on Sunday afternoon, stunning the Jaguars by the final score of 36-29 to improve to 4-5 on the season and keep their postseason hopes alive.
Quite frankly, as we get into the meat of this thing, I don't even know where to start. Do we begin with Davis Mills, who was making his first start at quarterback since the final week of the 2022 NFL season, putting forth a performance that Texans fans will remember for years to come? Or do we start with Danielle Hunter, who looked like an absolute terror in a 7 tackle, 3.5 sack gem of a game?
I suppose, in actuality, I just started with both of them.
No matter where you look up and down the Texans roster, there was a performance, or a play, or a contribution of some sort worth mentioning. Mills -- who threw for 292 yards, 2 touchdowns, and had the game-winning 14 yard touchdown run with under one minute to go -- and Hunter will surely be the headliners, but this was a complete team effort to come away with a win in a game that, put simply, the Texans really had no business winning.
Shoutout to Nico Collins, for giving Davis Mills the sort of presence on the outside that the backup QB needed on an afternoon like this one. Collins finished with 7 receptions for 136 yards, continuing his run of absolutely stellar play against Jacksonville.
Shoutout to Will Anderson Jr. and Sheldon Rankins, who combined for the sack, strip and score on the final play of the game.
Shoutout to Matthew Wright, who stepped in for Ka'imi Fairbairn on short notice and hit one field goal and all four point after attempts.
Shoutout to Woody Marks, Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, a trio of rookies who combined for 158 total yards, providing Mills and this offense with just enough spark.
Shoutout to Derek Stingley Jr. for making one of the most sensational one-handed interceptions you'll ever see early in this game.
Shoutout to an offensive line down two starters for giving up only 2 sacks and paving the way for Houston to rush for 5.9 yards per carry.
And hey, let's give credit to the coaching staff too... a disconnected team would've rolled over and ended up losing this game by four touchdowns. The Texans wouldn't go away, and that should at least partially be attributed to DeMeco Ryans and his crew.
With all of that said, whether or not the Texans had any business winning is irrelevant. Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine had no business avoiding a penalty AND fine for his hit last week on CJ Stroud, and we saw how that worked out, didn't we? Back in Week 2, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't really have any business coming from behind on the final drive of the game to beat Houston, but they did, isn't that right?
There is no need for the Texans to apologize for winning this game. Despite a disastrous start that put them in a double-digit hole early on, Houston showed enough grit, resilience and poise to win a game that a lesser team wouldn't have. And while a trip to the postseason for a third straight year is a tough task, but for at least one more week, they've kept hope alive.