Smith on Mills' struggles: 'We’re not making a change at the quarterback position'

Davis Mills’ first full season as the Houston Texans’ starting quarterback has been nothing short of a nightmare, but Texans head coach Lovie Smith remains confident in his field general.

Mills, whom the Texans made a third round selection in 2021, will continue to command the offense, Smith said, per a report from Houston NBC affiliate KPRC. 

“We’re not making a change at the quarterback position,” Smith said, KPRC said. “We all need to do better. You know who was our quarterback to possibly take the lead at the end? It was Davis Mills. He’s our quarterback.”

Mills displayed flashes of brilliance in his rookie year, which saw him start a shade over 10 games after the Texans lost Tyrod Taylor to injury.

Having thrown for 2,664 yards in his first season as a pro, the Stanford product unseated David Carr, the Texans’ first pick in the inaugural 2002 season, as the franchise recordholder for rookie passing yards and essentially secured the starting job on a full-time basis for the current campaign.

Mills; however, is in the throes of a sophomore slump as he and the Texans seek their first victory of 2022.

The Texans couldn’t complete their comeback bid against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, losing at home 34-24.

Pro Football Reference shows that through the team’s first four games of the season, Mills has crafted a less than ideal line of 908 passing yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.

It’s almost parallel to the Texans’ overall performance, with the team looking competent until the fourth quarter of each contest.

"Start fast and finish faster," Mills said in a report on the Texans’ website.

While Mills has scored through the air five times, the Chargers game was the first time this season in which he connected with a wide receiver in the end zone, KPRC reported.

Brandin Cooks caught an 18-yarder for the Texans’ final touchdown of the afternoon.

The Texans take to the road again with a matchup on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who currently occupy the driver’s seat in the American Football Conference (AFC) South.