Despite some dark, seedy, insanely stupid corners of the internet trying to talk it into existence, Davis Mills’ stretch as the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans will end this week, when C.J. Stroud returns from the concussion protocol and is, once again, the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans.
Mills himself cut any “QB controversy” talk off at the neck in his postgame media availability after last Thursday’s 23-19 win over the Buffalo Bills:
Davis Mills on if he views himself as solely a backup to CJ:
“In my current situation I don’t think there’s a competition. CJ’s the starter for this team. I’m just trying to play my role to my best ability when I get thrown in there.” pic.twitter.com/7fFWBrZShG
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) November 21, 2025
Good for Mills, acknowledging the exact role for which he’s been hired, but major acknowledgement for actually performing his role remarkably well. The stats were fairly pedestrian, particularly his 6.2 yards per attempt and 88.3 passer rating, but Mills excelled at the two biggest things a backup quarterback needs to do — protect the football (one interception in three games) and win the games (3-0 record).
So, with Stroud ready to return, let’s celebrate the four most memorable plays from Davis Mills’ three game run as the Texans’ starting quarterback:
Davis Mills on 3rd and 10 with a nice look left before pivoting fast to Schultz crossing to the right. Excellent placement with pressure mounting. pic.twitter.com/HYROY5qSQR
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) November 10, 2025
3rd-10 at HOU 7 yard line vs Jaguars, 6:02 left in Q4, Mills to Schultz for 20 yards
To this point, Mills had done a nice job getting the Texans back into the game, trailing 29-24. However, without a stellar history of winning and clutch plays, Mills may not have had the trust of Texan fans in the waning moments. This throw kept what ultimately became a 93 yard, game winning touchdown drive alive.
1 of the greatest comebacks this yr, less than a 2% chance down 19 in the 4th, & the Texans pull it off with Davis Mills! Arguably the best 4th quarter comeback in Texans history. 3 straight TD drives, including 93 yd last drive & 14 yd rush on 3rd & goalpic.twitter.com/gdY1UnuZRO
— Maanav Gupta (@MGSportsTalk) November 9, 2025
3rd-GOAL at JAC 14 yd line vs Jaguars, 0:31 left in Q4, Mills 14 yard TD run
The Schultz play was the initial third down conversion of the drive. This was the final one, in which Mills got flushed out of the pocket early, and then used his legs to take the lead, and ultimately win the game.
3rd-16 at HOU 42 yard line vs Titans, 0:50 left in Q4, Mills to Collins for 17 yards
A week later, in what was a dismal offensive performance in the first half, Mills got the offense moving in the second half. On the final drive, in a tie game, Mills had to have this conversion, or the Titans, fresh off their only touchdown drive of the day, would have gotten the ball back with all three timeouts, and a chance to win the game.
2nd-2 at BUF 47 yard line vs Bills, 0:47 left in Q2, Mills to Kirk for 33 yards
This was the Texans’ final drive of the half, and it came right after the Bills’ Ray Davis returned the previous kickoff for a touchdown, putting the Bills head 16-13 at a time when the Bills had no business leading the game. It was imperative the Texans answer with at least a field goal. This play put the Texans inside the Bills ten yard line, and set up Mills’ TD pass to Jayden Higgins just before the half.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.