The Day After the Day After...when the raw, immediate emotions from the aftermath of a game diminish into the realm of clarity and the proverbial (or literal) hangover no longer haunts the mind. With that, a review of Week 10:
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 09: Davis Mills #10 of the Houston Texans is congratulated by his teammates after running the ball for a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half in the game at NRG Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 09: Davis Mills #10 of the Houston Texans is congratulated by his teammates after running the ball for a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half in the game at NRG Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
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The Entire Davis Mills Experience: Coming into this game, there wasn’t a lot of expectations that Mills could spark anything out of this Houston offense. For the 1st three quarters, those fears bore out. He had a horrid INT on the first drive and despite showing a few flashes, he could not get the offense going. Mills had an unfortunate misfire on an early 1st Quarter 3rd down conversion, hitting Schultz for a nice gain to move the chains, but ignoring a wide-open Hutchinson who would have netted at least 20 more yards on the play. When the Jags went up 29-10 late in the 3rd quarter, fans started departing the stadium. Few could blame them. In the past, Mills possessed the ability to cut into leads, and for a while, it seemed like Mills would offer some empty offensive calories. Yet, on the final drive, Mills showed why Houston continues to keep him around. The first two throws on the drive were awful near INTs. Yet, on the key 3rd down play (more later), he made the throw he had to make. From there, Mills led the offense in a rather calm/effective manner. Even when the offense did its best to derp the game with back-to-back penalties, Mills stayed focused and offered up his most impactful QB scramble to take the lead. The muffed snap on the 2-pt conversion sucked, but that wasn’t all Mills. Overall, Mills validated his back-up contract and may have saved the season.
Texans’ Defense, Great when they needed to be: The calling card for the 2025 Texans is their ferocious defense. #1 in scoring and yards allowed before kickoff. Yet, the 3rd quarter might have been among the worst they’ve played this year. Houston’s pass rush failed to get home on Lawrence, and wide-open zones allowed Jags receivers to operate at will. Allowing the Jags to convert on 3rd and 17, when Houston failed to secure the tackle, and seeing the Jags score the TD to go up 29-10 seemed the death kneel for the squad. Yet, after that, they played perhaps their most effective quarter of defense this season. On three drives, they held the Jags to 1 yard, only 1 first down and prevented the Jags from running off valuable clock. Then, when Jacksonville only needed ~15 yards on the final drive, Houston shut down the Jags, keeping Little from trying a long-range FG. As of this writing, Houston still maintains the #1 ranking in points and yards allowed.
HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 09: Dalton Schultz #86 of the Houston Texans runs with the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half of an NFL football game at NRG Stadium on November 9, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 09: Dalton Schultz #86 of the Houston Texans runs with the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half of an NFL football game at NRG Stadium on November 9, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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The Critical Play:
3rd and 10 from the HOU 7 (6:02, 4th Quarter)
In this game, you have plenty of candidates for this role. If the Jags had won, you could look to that 3rd and 16 conversion in the 3rd quarter. Yet, for Houston, you must go to the 1st 3rd down conversion on the game winning drive. Pinned inside the 7, Houston had 6 minutes to go the length of the field. No need to rush. However, the first two plays were awful Mills passes to the right flat. On 3rd and 10, Mills dropped back out of shotgun. The Jags rush was hardly a factor here, and Mills found plenty of time to hit TE Dalton Schultz who was running across the field from left to right. Mills put this ball on the money, allowing Schultz to produce a 20-yard catch-and-run that kept the drive alive. From there, Houston went on an efficient drive, using the running game, along with timely passing, to move the ball down the field. Had Mills not completed that pass, Houston would have been in a damnable situation. With only 1 TO left, Houston could punt, but if Jacksonville got two 1st downs, Houston likely loses. Or, Ryans elects to go for it on 4th and 10, but inside his own 10, a failed conversion also effectively ends the game. Yet, Mills and Schultz made the play and allowed Houston to win.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 09: Parker Washington #11 of the Jacksonville Jaguars returns a punt for a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the first half in the game at NRG Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 09: Parker Washington #11 of the Jacksonville Jaguars returns a punt for a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the first half in the game at NRG Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
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Special Teams Horror. With Fairbairn out, Houston’s special teams figured to have a tough day. Placekicking by Wright (1 of 1 on FGs, 1 of 1 on XPs) wasn’t the issue. The coverage units…they did. Jacksonville consistently delivered solid returns. On the final drive, heart rates exploded at NRG when the Jags returned the kickoff to the Jags 33, meaning that the Glitter Kitties only needed really one 1st down + a few more yards to get within Little’s range to end the game. Also, the punt coverage…that Parker Washington 71-yard TD was a thing of horror for Houston. Washington was barely touched. Houston won, but in spite of the Special Teams.
The NRG Crowd, a force when they want to be: Watching the game in-person was quite the experience, and if able, I recommend a fan goes in person at least once in their lifetime. NRG isn’t known to be among the loudest of stadiums, but the crowd impacted the game at times. Towards the end of the second quarter, the crowd got into the game after Marks cut the lead to 20-10. They forced one false start on the Jags and the Texans’ D fed off the crowd. In the 4th quarter, the crowd’s passion returned in force, and on the final two Jags drives, the Defense also feed off that energy to shut them down. Oh, the booing of the offense, especially on some of the Mills’ related derps, was also quite loud, but the crowd can be a factor at NRG, when motivated to do so.
HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 09: Davis Mills #10 of the Houston Texans drops back to pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of an NFL football game at NRG Stadium on November 9, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 09: Davis Mills #10 of the Houston Texans drops back to pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of an NFL football game at NRG Stadium on November 9, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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FUN WITH NUMBERS:
3-1: Davis Mills’ record as a starter against the Jaguars. Mills came into this game 5-19-1 as a starter. However, against AFC South opponents, he is 4-1-1. For a backup, that is a good thing to have on the record. Now, he sits 6-19-1 overall, 5-1-1 in the Division.
0: Number of Houston Punts in the Second Half. 4 Second half possessions. 1 turnover on downs and three TDs. The punt return TD by Washington in the 2nd Quarter would be the last punt of the day for the Texans. Good for Houston, bad for Jacksonville.
HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 09: Defensive end Danielle Hunter #55 of the Houston Texans sacks quarterback Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the NFL football game between Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars on November 9, 2025, at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 09: Defensive end Danielle Hunter #55 of the Houston Texans sacks quarterback Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the NFL football game between Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars on November 9, 2025, at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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GAME BALLS:
QB Davis Mills: His 4th quarter performance, punctuated by 3 total TDs. Yeah, ‘nuff said.
DE Danielle Hunter: Been a bit quiet the past few games. He was, uh, not quiet Sunday. 3.5 sacks and 4 TFL. On the second-to-last Jags possession, Hunter had a massive TFL on the Jags’ running back on 2nd down and a drive-ending sack on 3rd down. Also why Houston ponied up big money to keep him around.
OC Nick Calley: Admittedly, even when the Texans struggled, you really couldn’t put this on the play-calling. Houston went 6 of 11 on 3rd Downs, scored a TD inside the 3 yard line and the play-calling showed creativity and gave the offense legit options. 3rd and short, usually the bane of this team, did not prove a problem. Sure, when things work, you are a genius and when they don’t, you are an idiot, but most of the calls were solid. Not a fan of the second-to-last 2pt conversion play, but no one is perfect.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 09: Parker Washington #11 of the Jacksonville Jaguars returns a punt for a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the first half in the game at NRG Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 09: Parker Washington #11 of the Jacksonville Jaguars returns a punt for a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the first half in the game at NRG Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
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SHOULD BE FORCED TO LISTEN TO A COMBINATION RECORDING OF THE INANE “DUUUVVVAALLL” CHANT AND MY VOICE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE GAME ON REPEAT
Texans Kick Coverage Units: Yeah, it’s gonna be a bad film session for those guys.
Jacksonville 4th quarter coaching: In every comeback, there are two stories. For the Jags, it was as bad as it can be. No pressure on Mills, which is a crime when Houston was primarily in a pass-only mode for most of the 4th. They allowed Houston receivers to pretty much operate freely. Even when Houston seemingly gifted the game with the penalties and the bad kick coverage, they couldn’t take advantage. When Mills left the pocket, that no Jags defender felt the need to eyeball Mills...bad Glitter Kitties. Bad Glitter Kitties.
With that comeback, Houston completes a 2-1 homestand. They sit 4-5 and resume playing next Sunday at Noon CST in Nashville against the Titans. The game is slated for CBS/Paramount+