The Texans dropped a tough one, 23-7, on the road to the 49ers.
But despite the loss, QB Davis Mills explained he and his teammates will come out ready for action in the season finale next Sunday at NRG Stadium versus Tennessee.
"The big thing for us is just continuing to fight," Mills said after the defeat at Levi's Stadium. "We've got one more game left this season. Everyone's extremely grateful for the position they're in. I feel like we have the best jobs in the world. Everyone's just ready to come out, put their head down and get a really good week of practice and come out and hope for a better result next week."
Mills completed 21-of-32 passes for 163 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. He was sacked three times and hit eight times on the afternoon. While he and the offense were unable to put points on the board after the half, and the Texans fell to 4-12 in 2021, Mills' favorite target in WR Brandin Cooks said he continues to see the rookie take steps. According to Cooks, it's particularly happened in Mills' ability to check down and find shorter gains through the air.
"That's huge," Cooks said. "Especially for a young guy. When you get in the game early you tend to force things. But to see his growth over these weeks, to take what's given and not try to force things is huge. I think he's been doing a great job at that. He threw a pick today, but I think his response was great. It's just unfortunate we couldn't come up and make some more plays from everyone else around him."
Cooks caught Mills’ and the Texans’ lone score of the day, a second quarter touchdown on third-and-goal from 8-yard line, with just 1:57 remaining in the half. He finished with a team-best seven catches for 66 yards, and cracked the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a season as well.
Head Coach David Culley was disappointed in his team's consistency on Sunday, and aside from the Mills pick and couple other throws, "thought he did a good job for us."
But Mills, who was an efficient 11-of-15 for 79 yards before the intermission, wants to keep the momentum going after the break.
"I felt like we started off well in the first half, and I felt like even after they kicked that field goal at halftime, we had the momentum going into halftime," Mills said. "I thought we played well. We've just got to be able to sustain that throughout the game, and then come out in the second half hot."
Mills and the Texans will get their chance at that for the final time this season, as they host the Titans next Sunday at noon CT.
Watch the Houston Texans take on the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium on January 9. Kickoff is at noon. Click here for tickets.
