When you factor in just how close DeMeco Ryans ’ team was to seeing their entire season go up in smoke, backup quarterback Davis Mills ’ 292 passing yards, two touchdown passes, and a gutsy late scoring run was heaven-sent.

Mills led three touchdown drives in the 4th quarter to bring the Texans back from 19 points down for the victory.

Mills was even-keeled almost to a fault throughout Sunday’s game, according to Schultz. The tight end said the team had to tell him to speak up several times in the huddle because they couldn’t hear him relay the play call. But the calm, confident nature of Mills in the face of adversity instilled the same spirit in his teammates to battle back.

Leading up that season finale in 2022, Davis Mills had been the primary starting quarterback for the Texans in 2021 and 2022, his first two seasons in the NFL. While Mills himself is hardly the only one to blame, he did sport a 5-19-1 record as a starter over those two seasons. Not good. Not good at all.

Texans backup quarterback steps in for injured C.J. Stroud, leads team to second-biggest comeback in franchise history with game-winning touchdown as team scored 26 unanswered points in fourth quarter

The aftermath: The pass helped get the Texans moving. Six plays later, they were in Jaguars territory and Mills scored the go-ahead touchdown on the drive's 14th play to give Houston its first lead of the game with 31 seconds left. Schultz also atoned for a third-down drop earlier in the second half that led to turnover on downs.

Down by 19 entering the fourth quarter Sunday against Jacksonville, the Houston Texans looked to be headed for another tough loss.

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins catches a 54-yard pass from quarterback Davis Mills. New York Jets linebacker Will McDonald IV enters backfield in a flash for third sack of first half. Houston texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. intercepts a pass from Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence .