The last two weeks have seen the Texans face two of the best teams in the league and go punch-for-punch until the final moments. Both contests were drama-filled as Houston came up short in crunch time.
It's a testament to the professionalism of the players that despite the fact they've won only once, they play these games like a playoff berth is on the line.
Sunday against the Chiefs was another down-to-the wire affair that could have gone either way.
The Texans forced two takeaways, scoring after each one. They scored first with a Davis Mills-to-Teagan Quitoriano touchdown pass. They sacked Patrick Mahomes twice, including a huge stop in overtime to get the ball with a chance to win. But they still didn't close the deal.
Mills and Jeff Driskel started the game together, with Driskel getting the first snaps. But it was Mills who got the bulk of the reps, throwing two touchdown passes and running for another as Houston tied its season high with 24 points.
Speaking of running, the Texans clawed their way to a 94-yard afternoon highlighted by Royce Freeman carrying the ball 11 times for 51 yards. He had some YAC (yards after contact) carries, reminding us somewhat of Dameon Pierce, who is out for the season.
The Chiefs' top rated offense racked up 502 yards but the Texans made them work for everything and kept the point total relatively low. Christian Harris and Tavierre Thomas' TFL on Jerick McKinnon's 4th quarter field goal set-up run made it just that much more difficult for Harrison Butker, who missed the would-be winner from 51 yards.
And in overtime, Blake Cashman's 12-yard sack of Mahomes was a huge third down moment.
In the end, a Mills fumble gave the Chiefs the ball in scoring range as McKinnon ran it in from 26 yards out to send the Texans to their 12th loss.
Three division games are on tap as Houston looks to affect the title chase. The Jaguars are surging and the Titans are fighting to hold them off. These young Texans will bring everything they have to Nashville on a short week to go for a Christmas Eve upset.
