Texans QB Davis Mills evaluates first career start

HOUSTON — Houston Texans rookie quarterback Davis Mills made his first NFL start amid a 24-9 loss to the Carolina Panthers at NRG Stadium Thursday night. Mills threw for 168 yards while completing 67.9 percent of his pass attempts, to go along with one touchdown.

First-year coach David Cullet believes Mills did “very well” in his first NFL start — especially after going the entire night without throwing an interception.

But the rookie quarterback from Stanford felt he left several plays on the field that might’ve improved Houston’s chances of winning the game.

“I always think back on that quote, ‘It’s never as bad as you think it was, and it’s never as good as you think it was,’” Mills said during his post-game press conference following the loss. “There’s a couple of quick things that I can think of that I would like to improve on initially, but going back, we’ll see a lot from the film and also see the good in it that we can keep moving forward with.”

Mills said he felt comfortable during his first start under center despite the short week of preparation.

He acknowledged that the two-minute offense helped him find his rhythm late in the second quarter — a series where Mills led the Texans on a 67-yard drive that ended in a touchdown pass to Anthony Miller to close out the half.

And after the game, it appeared that Mills preferred the up-tempo offense over the conservative play-calling coming from the coaching staff.

“Obviously, you want to kind of go in there and get that first hit in and really settle in, but I felt that throughout the game,” he said. “I was confident out there the whole time. I just wanted to go out there and make plays with the guys around me.”

Mills said he is grateful for his first NFL start but wishes it did not come at the expense of his injured teammate, Tyrod Taylor. With Taylor placed on injured reserve due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain, Mills will likely start for the Texans until his return to the field.

“I’ve always dreamed of being a starting quarterback in the NFL, so I think moving forward just trying to improve each and every day is what I’m going to try to do,” Mills said.