Former Stanford Football Quarterback Rallies Houston Texans to Comeback Win

After an 0-3 start to the 2025 NFL season, the Houston Texans are back on track. Beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 36-29 in week 10, the Texans improved to 4-5 and are right back in the mix for a spot in the AFC playoffs. And the team has backup quarterback and former Stanford Cardinal star, Davis Mills, to thank for that.

Starting in the place of quarterback C.J. Stroud, Mills rallied the Texans from being down 19 points at the start of the second half to winning the game and keeping them afloat in the AFC South. And in what was his first start in over two years, Mills finished the game with 292 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception, also scoring on a 14-yard run with around 30 seconds left to give the Texans the lead.

The win tied the Philadelphia Eagles in week three and the Denver Broncos in week seven for the largest comebacks of the season and is the second-largest comeback by the Texans in franchise history.

Mills' game got off to a rough start however, as he threw an interception on the opening drive. But as he settled in and calmed down, he got much better, throwing all 292 of his yards after that first possession and taking care of the ball for the rest of the game.

But in the first half, the Jaguars had complete control of the game, turning Mills' turnover into a field goal followed by a touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence to Parker Washington only a couple of drives later. Then, Washington returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown to give the Jaguars a 17-0 lead.

While the Texans managed 10 first half points, they were down 20-10 at the half. And while head coach DeMeco Ryans never saw his team panic, Mills echoed his belief in his team-- saying that even while they were down, he had confidence that he and his team would be able to pull it out.

"The whole team had faith we were going to win that game the entire time," Mills said. "I think our team is very confident in our own abilities. We have a lot of players who can make plays. And we just needed to get things clicking."

Nov 9, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the fourth quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Mills' triumphant victory is a very positive moment in a professional career that has been filled with ups and downs. A third round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Mills joined a Texans team that was in the midst of a major rebuild. Starting 11 games as a rookie, he went 2-9 as the starter, throwing for 2,664 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

In 2022, Mills started 15 out of the team's 17 games, going 3-10-1 and throwing for 3,118 yards, 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Mills' inconsistent play and the Texans lack of wins led to them selecting Stroud second overall in the 2023 draft. And while the Texans have been consistent playoff contenders since Stroud and Ryans joined the Texans, Mills has proven to be a key backup.

Before his days in the NFL, Mills played at Stanford from 2017-20, redshirting his true freshman season and being the backup in 2018 before taking over as the starting quarterback for his final two seasons of eligibility.

Playing in eight games in 2019, Mills threw for 1,960 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions as Stanford finished 4-8. In his second and final season as the starter in 2020, Mills started five out of Stanford's six games, throwing for 1,508 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions and leading Stanford to a 4-2 record.