Without Nico Collins and Brandin Cooks, Davis Mills and the Texans have no chance to keep up

This story was supposed to be a predictable one. The Texans, the NFL’s second-worst team and missing two of their top weapons, were supposed to be blown out at home Thursday night against the NFL’s only undefeated team, the Philadelphia Eagles.

But the Texans actually made it a game — for three quarters at least.

Davis Mills was having one of his better performances, throwing two touchdown passes in the first half. Rookie Dameon Pierce, who finished with a season-high 139 yards rushing, was trucking defenders all night. And the defense managed to force a turnover and sack Jalen Hurts, a Houston native, multiple times.

To beat the Eagles, though, the Texans needed a turnover-free game from Mills. And that wasn’t the case.

Mills, the second-year quarterback who is auditioning for the starting role next season, threw a costly interception to Eagles defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the third quarter of a 14-14 game.

The Texans stood little chance after that. Two plays later, Hurts threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver A.J. Brown to give the Eagles a 21-14 lead. The Texans answered with a field goal to bring in within four, and after that, the Texans could keep up no more, losing 29-17 at NRG Stadium.

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The reasons the Texans lost were the same as they were in previous weeks. They can’t stop run, and their offense, while capable of having solid performances when they establish the run, still isn’t good enough to keep up with the top teams in this league.

The Eagles (8-0) scored touchdowns on all four of their red zone trips. The Texans (1-6-1) were 2 of 4 on red zone touchdown opportunities and were outscored the Texans 15-3 in the second half.

That’s been the case all season though. In this game, they were plagued additional issues.

Their leading receiver Brandin Cooks, who is also one of their captains, was inactive for the game after the Texans failed to trade him before the trade deadline. He had missed Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices for what coach Lovie Smith described as “personal issues,” and wasn’t on the sideline. It’s unclear when Cooks, 29, return. Nico Collins missed his second consecutive game with a groin injury.

Cooks’ and Collins’ absence didn’t seem to affect Mills much early, though having both would have helped. Mills was much more accurate than he was against the Titans last Sunday, completing 11 of his first 14 passes.

Receivers Chris Moore and Phillip Dorsett both made some big catches, including Moore’s 13-yard touchdown pass just before halftime to tie the game at 14.

But playing without Collins and Cooks is not sustainable for Mills and the Texans, who have struggled most of the season. Cooks and Collins had accounted for more 77 percent of the receiving yards from wide receivers this season. They are also their best down field threats and are his main targets when they need a comeback.

Though Moore and Dorsett combined for seven catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, neither is believed to be top receivers or has shown throughout their careers that they can play that role. In seven seasons, Moore has never had more than 248 yards. Dorsett hasn’t caught for more than 400 yards since 2016, when he was in his second season with the Colts.

The Texans do utilize their tight ends often in this offense, but it limits their ability to stretch the field. Mills, who completed two passes of 25 yards or more, finished with 154 yards passing. He was 13-of-22 and had two touchdowns and two interceptions. Both interceptions happened in the second half.

The offensive line has also struggled to protect Mills in recent games. They’ve allowed six sacks in the past two games against the Titans and Eagles.

Mills, trying to make a play in the fourth quarter, threw his second interception to cornerback James Bradberry with 2:08 left to play. Dorsett was running a post route in the middle of the field, and Mills threw it to a spot where Dorsett wasn’t. Dorsett never turned his head around.

It was the final nail in the coffin.

Thursday’s night’s game wasn’t his worst game. But it certainly wasn’t his best. Through eight games this season, Mills has 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Without Cooks and Collins, he didn’t stand much of a chance.

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