The Texans battled all game long against the Colts on Sunday. They held a lead for most of the game but lost the thread at the end, falling behind by 31-24 in the fourth quarter. The “right” thing to do, from the front office’s perspective, would be to let the game stay out of reach, but clearly none of the players felt that way.
Quarterback Davis Mills strung together a couple of miracle throws during a drive over 2 minutes 43 seconds, lobbing a prayer on fourth-and-20 to score a touchdown with 50 seconds left. The Texans successfully went straight for the finish with a 2-point conversion that gave them the 32-31 win — and the second overall pick, behind the Chicago Bears, who lost to the Vikings on Sunday.
With the first pick, the Texans could have grabbed the quarterback of their choice from a group that includes Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud unimpeded. Now, the Bears have that choice.
On the one hand, the Bears don’t necessarily need a quarterback. They can stick it out with the uber-talented Justin Fields for another year. But plenty of other teams would surely like to take a swing on a quarterback, and the Bears could hold the first pick for a king’s ransom and put the Texans in danger of losing out on who they want.
Nobody wants to settle for their second choice when it comes to drafting quarterbacks, but that’s where the Texans might be. It’s the same place the Jets were two years ago when they won meaningless Week 15 and Week 16 games to lose the right to draft Trevor Lawrence. There’s no clear star like Lawrence in this class, and the Texans may end up with their guy anyway, but now the off-season comes with all sorts of headaches.
Around the N.F.L.
Sunday
Lions 20, Packers 16: The Packers fell apart in the fourth quarter after linebacker Quay Walker got himself ejected in the fourth quarter for shoving a Lions trainer. The mistake gave Detroit a first-and-goal and was the start of an ugly snowball. Not only did the Lions score after Walker left, but Rodgers threw away the team’s playoff chances on the ensuing drive. On yet another target for the rookie receiver Christian Watson deep down the sideline, Rodgers gave the ball too much hang time and Lions safety Kerby Joseph made him pay. The Lions called a screen-and-lateral play on their next and final possession. The trick play sent Detroit from second-and-17 to third-and-3, allowing the Lions to set up an easy fourth-down conversion and wind out the clock.
Seahawks 19, Rams 16 (Overtime): True to form, the Seahawks brought it down to the wire in a game with their playoff hopes on the line. Seattle quarterback Geno Smith had a roller-coaster evening, pinging between ill-timed interceptions and beautiful downfield throws to DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. In the end, it was enough. Rams quarterback Baker Mayfield threw an arm punt of an interception early in overtime, setting up the Seahawks to cruise into field-goal range and take home the win.
