False Hope In Houston: Offensive Struggles Bad Sign For Texans Season?
HOUSTON -- What can one learn about an offense in six snaps? Plenty if you're the Houston Texans on Saturday evening.
The Texans walked away with a 17-13 win over the New Orleans Saints at home, but it wasn't pretty. Seconds remained on the clock in NRG Stadium when third-string quarterback Jeff Driskel connected with receiver Johnny Johnson III for the 6-yard score.
Driskel and Johnson were factors in the victory, but the attention should turn toward the first-team offense. More specifically, it should be on Davis Mills and his role as the hopeful long-term quarterback.
Two drives won't be enough to rule Mills a "bust'' or "the face of the franchise.'' That's in part because it's hard to judge anything off his performance when playing without a full deck.
Texans coach Lovie Smith elected to rest both offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and center Justin Britt. Receiver Brandin Cooks took the night off as well.
The results showed. Mills finished 3 of 3 passing for 14 yards while both drives ended in three-and-outs.
"I would have like to put together some longer drives, but I mean, it felt like I handled everything well," Mills said.
To be fair to Mills, his supporting cast was one the main reason the offense fell flat.
Take for instance the second play of the game on a screen pass to receiver Chris Conley. It should have netted positive yards, but tight end Brevin Jordan missed his block and allowed Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo to make the tackle for a loss.
On third-and-13, Mills connected with Conley again, but seven yards weren't enough, and the Texans had to punt.
Not enough context? Take a look at the second drive. Running back Marlon Mack blazed through contact at the line of scrimmage for an 8-yard gain, but a holding call negated the play and pushed Houston back 10 yards. On third-and-12, Mills found running back Dare Ogunbowale for a gain of eight, but again,the damage was done and the drive halted in its tracks.
Penalties were a problem for Houston last season. They remain a problem for the offense in the preseason. By the time the third quarter ended, the Texans had eight flags. When the final whistle blew, the team had 11.
"We shot ourselves in the foot a little bit too much tonight," Mills said. "A lot of penalty yards. Those add up and put us in third-and-long situations that you don’t want to live in. I had to play out of that a lot last year, and it’s tough.''
For Houston to get the best from Mills, it needs better protection. It also needs consistency from more than just the offensive line. Perhaps Saturday was nothing more than first-game jitters under new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.
Perhaps it wasn’t.
By the time the Texans found any offensive consistency, Mills' night was done. New Orleans also switched to its second-team defense, so the talent level significantly dropped.
There were bright spots. Take rookie running back Dameon Pierce's 20-yard run to begin his NFL career. Or how about camp standout Jalen Camp scoring his first career touchdown on a 4-yard hitch in the second quarter?
Both were impressive plays. Both were with Driskel at the helm.
All offseason, fans heard of Mills' improvements and growth. Teammates praised him non-stop throughout camp. Saturday was his first chance to take the steps toward being a potential franchise starter.
Instead, he had six plays before Smith had seen enough. All Mills can do is hope for better results on the road in preseason Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams.
"I think I’ll be getting a little more playing time than I did this week, so I’ll be ready to go out there and execute and do my job," Mills said.
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