Lovie Smith hints at quarterback change for Texans

Oct 24, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Houston Texans defensive coordinator Lovie Smith against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Texans are looking for a spark on offense after another poor performance, and that may come from changing the quarterback.

On Monday, Texans coach Lovie Smith suggested that quarterback Davis Mills may be benched in favor of backup Kyle Allen. That comes one day after the Texans failed to threaten much in a 23-10 loss to Washington.

During his Monday press conference, Texans’ HC Lovie Smith left the door open to a QB change this week, going away from Davis Mills to Kyle Allen. “We're not pleased with where we are,” Smith said. “Do we need to do some things differently? Yes, and we will.”

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 21, 2022

When a coach does not shoot down the suggestion of a quarterback change, that usually winds up being a tell. The Texans have not scored 20 points in a game since Week 7 and have not scored more than 24 all season, so they are certainly justified in considering a change.

Mills, a third-round pick in 2021, has just 11 touchdowns to go with 11 interceptions on the season. It is tough to blame him for everything considering how poor Houston’s roster is and how little talent there is on offense, despite some half-hearted efforts to improve in recent weeks. Giving Allen a shot is not going to hurt anything, but it probably will not make anything better, either.