Davis Mills rallies Texans from 19-point deficit vs. Jaguars

HOUSTON — Backup quarterback Davis Mills’ first start in more than two years will be one that he and the Houston Texans will remember.

With starting quarterback C.J. Stroud sidelined with a concussion, Houston overcame a 19-point deficit in the second half to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 36-29. Mills had three fourth-quarter touchdowns, capped by a 14-yard scoring run with 31 seconds left.

“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.”

Houston tied with the Philadelphia Eagles (Week 3) and Denver Broncos (Week 7) for the largest comeback victories this season. This also marked the second-biggest comeback in team history, as the Texans trailed by 21 points against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 of 2013.

Making his first start since Jan. 8, 2023, Mills got off to a rocky start against the Jaguars with an interception on the opening drive. He responded, however, by throwing for 292 yards after the first possession.

After the Jaguars turned the opening turnover into a field goal, cornerback Tremon Smith fumbled on the ensuing kickoff return, giving Jacksonville the ball on the 19. Five plays later, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw a touchdown pass to Parker Washington.

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Washington increased the Jaguars’ advantage in the second quarter to 17-0 with a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Houston trailed 20-10 at halftime, but Texans coach DeMeco Ryans never saw his team panic.

“I just look at the game as I look at life,” Ryans said. “Bad things are going to happen. Do you hang your head and go run and hide? Do you quit? Do you give up? No, you got to keep punching. In life and football, you got to keep punching. And that’s what this game showed today.”

In addition to the Texans’ offense scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter, the defense suffocated the Jaguars in the last 12 minutes by not only shutting them out but also by holding them to 11 net yards and one first down. The Texans’ defensive end duo of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson combined for 2.5 sacks with both taking Lawrence down on the final drive of the game.

The 19-point blown lead marks the biggest in Jaguars history, including the postseason. Entering Sunday’s game, the Jaguars were 64-0-0 in games in which they had at least an 18-point lead, according to ESPN Research. And Houston was 0-76, including playoffs, when trailing by at least 19 points in the final quarter.

“You’ve got a 19-point lead and you can’t hold onto it, and that’s disappointing,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said. “That’s really disappointing against a divisional opponent on the road where you’re controlling the game for the majority of it with all three phases having an impact.”

For Houston, the comeback might have saved its season. Had the Texans lost, according to ESPN Research, their chances at the playoffs would have dropped to 4%. Instead, with the victory, it rose to 17%.

“We really needed that win,” Anderson said. “I think as a team, you can just see the camaraderie. You can see how everybody really wanted this win. You can see how we kept fighting all quarters for however long it took. Nobody got discouraged. Everybody kept fighting.”

Houston, with a chance to climb back to .500, travels to face the Tennessee Titans (1-8) in Week 11.