Nothing went quite right for the Houston Texans as they narrowly lost to the Denver Broncos after a bunch of self-inflicted mishaps. And lost their starting quarterback, CJ Stroud, to a concussion after he was hit by Broncos CB Kris Abrams-Draine. Backup QB Davis Mills knows that the offense was entirely at fault today.

The only reason the Texans came out with a loss tonight was that the offense failed to capitalize on some really positive drives, which Mills admitted in the post-game presser.

“We were operating really well. Had a lot of really good drives. Kinda just sputtered out when we got into the red zone. We get down to the one-yard line twice, (in the) red zone four or five times. Gotta come out of these drives with touchdowns instead of field goals,” he remarked.

Yes, Mills was more than adequate tonight. He was steady, didn’t make an error. He looked comfortable out there. It was just the fact that Houston couldn’t finish their drives. Despite Denver playing its worst special teams game of the season, the Texans couldn’t make their opportunities count.

Zero touchdowns. That’s the story. Three snaps from the one-yard line, nothing. Two more from the two, same result. On a day when Bo Nix is putting on a bad show after weeks of strong output, failing to outscore the Broncos is a big letdown.

Those drives should’ve been 14 points in the bag for the Texans. When your opponent is playing their worst game of the season, you’re supposed to bury them instead of joining them in the mud. The Texans will now face the Jaguars, who are ahead of them in the AFC South, probably without CJ Stroud. And if they end up losing this… that’s their playoff hopes gone.

DeMeco Ryans criticizes the referee’s decision

In a season where the NFL seems to be throwing flags for every minor infraction, somehow the Broncos’ cornerback managed to skate free after slamming CJ Stroud’s head into the turf. The officials initially threw a flag for unnecessary roughness, but surprisingly, picked it up.

The explanation was that Stroud supposedly started his slide too late, and the hit wasn’t “direct” to the head. You can debate that all you want, but it’s tough to look at the play and not question a hit that ended up giving your starting quarterback a concussion. From a coach’s perspective, that is frustrating. And he didn’t shy away from calling out the referee’s decision.

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“He hit the quarterback when he was sliding and giving himself up. If I’m incorrect on the rules, I’ve seen that happen multiple times with our guys, and we get the penalty,” HC Ryans said.

Well, Abrams-Draine might’ve walked out of the game without a penalty, but the Texans’ HC might’ve risked himself a fine by openly questioning it.

Now the focus shifts to next week against the Jaguars. CJ Stroud’s participation is contingent upon the results of the concussion protocol. If Stroud can’t go, Davis Mills will take over under center. And as long as they can finish decent drives, it shouldn’t be a problem. If they can’t, they can say goodbye to playoffs.