Texans QB Davis Mills Rains Praise On ‘Real Deal’ Rookie Dameon Pierce
In his first season as the starting quarterback of the Houston Texans last year, Davis Mills saw a handful of different running backs in a backfield that lacked consistency.
And after Sunday’s 13-6 road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, rookie running back Dameon Pierce is already 15 yards shy of Rex Burkhead’s 2021 rushing total (427), as the veteran led Houston’s backfield last season.
Safe to say Mills now has some consistency in having Pierce right alongside him. It prompted the second-year signal-caller to rain praises on Houston’s budding young star following the first win of the season, one that saw Pierce total six carries and the go-ahead touchdown on the deciding possession late in the fourth.
“He wants to win the game,” Mills said of Pierce. “I think I probably counted at least six broken tackles that run. I looked at LT (Laremy Tunsil) after the play and I was like ‘This guy, he’s the real deal.’”
With under five minutes to play, it was Pierce’s rumbling 20-yard run that nearly saw him shed off the entire Jags' defense into the end zone. He fell short but converted two plays later. Finishing with a heavy 26 carries for 99 yards and the score, Pierce is now the league’s fourth-leading rusher through the end of Sunday’s Week 5 action.
“He’s trying to win games, he’s helping us out a lot and we’re moving the ball down the field behind him,” said Mills, who went just 16 of 24 passing for 140 yards while the Texans' defense dominated.
Mills even admitted that, despite being a rookie, Pierce’s impressive presence has seeped through to the rest of the team, citing it as a major reason for the fight the team showed against Jacksonville.
“Just the energy he brings day in and day out, it rubs off on the team,” Mills said. “We want to rally behind that.”
A Texans team that has been within striking distance late in all five games this year, maybe Sunday’s performance puts them over the edge and into winning territory as the season continues.
And on the back and legs of Pierce, the Texans will reason to believe they’re “the real deal” as well.
Houston visits the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6, as kickoff at Allegiant Stadium is set for 3:05 p.m. CT.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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