Davis Mills Takes Responsibility for Texans Loss to Bears
HOUSTON — For the second week in a row, coach Lovie Smith expressed his disappointment in the Houston Texans offense. Following the Houston Texans' Week 3 defeat to the Chicago Bears, Smith was disappointed in the Texans' inability to take care of the ball.
"We cannot turn the ball over, and you definitely cannot have a turnover in the end zone," Smith said. "That really hurt us. And of course, that last one hurt us too. Overall, we could not sustain enough drives."
The Texans had two turnovers en route to a 23-20 defeat at Soldier Field. Second-year quarterback Davis Mills was responsible for both turnovers, including the interception that helped seal the loss.
The Texans took the field with 1:42 left in the fourth quarter. Mills opened the drive with two completions. But on his third pass attempt to wide receiver Brandin Cooks, linebacker Roquan Smith forced Mills into his second interception. His turnover led to the Bears' 30-yard game-winning field goal.
Mills said the Texans had confidence in their ability to move the ball downfield with the hope of scoring a touchdown or field goal, but he gave credit to Smith, who made a play at the line of scrimmage to record the pick.
"I take responsibility for it," Mills said. "I turned the ball over late in the game when we needed it. It's the quarterback's job to protect the football and to put ourselves in a position to win ball games. I'll take responsibility for it. But overall, tough results."
Up until Houston's final possession, Mills believed the Texans had their best offensive production of the season. Houston recorded a season-high 329 yards on a dozen drives, with Mills completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 245 yards.
He helped the Texans score one of their first of two touchdowns by connecting with tight end Jordan Akins on a four-yard reception. But each time the Texans had a chance to take control of the game, Mills' interceptions destroyed the momentum.
The Texans missed a touchdown opportunity in the first quarter when Mills' pass attempt was intercepted at the back of the end zone by Eddie Jackson.
"I turned the ball over on an opportunity for us to go down and score a touchdown," he said. "We have to take advantage of all opportunities to score a touchdown rather than kicking a field goal or turning the ball over."
Following the loss, Mills said learning how to finish and execute on drives will be his primary point of emphasis when reviewing film.
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