Davis Mills is glad he can throw to Brandin Cooks.
The Texans quarterback linked up with the veteran wide receiver nine times for 112 yards in Thursday night's loss to the Panthers at NRG Stadium.
For Cooks, it was second game this season he cracked the 100-yard receiving mark. It's the 20th time he's done it in his career, which began in 2014. Having a productive pass-catcher means a lot to Mills.
"It's awesome," Mills said. "Really experienced guy, just instilling confidence in me between every drive. He's a trustworthy dude out there that you know he's going to be in the right spot at the right time and it's great."
The rookie quarterback's first career touchdown pass came last week at Cleveland when found Cooks for two yards early in the fourth quarter.
In Thursday's 24-9 defeat, Mills and Cooks were responsible for Houston's three longest plays from scrimmage. Cooks caught a 30-yarder with 1:19 left in the second quarter, and it went a long way towards helping the Texans find the end zone for the only time on the night. Houston was in its 2-minute offense and trying to score before the half. On top of the 30 yard completion, Cooks also hauled in catches for 11 and eight yards on that scoring drive that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Miller.
"We do well playing fast and when we had that success at the end of that half, obviously the biggest thing is just tempo in general," Cooks said. "From a receiver standpoint, got to get out of the huddle faster so we can dissect what's going on at the line. We got to get better at that even when we're not, I guess, in two-minute situations and that's more so us players having the tempo, getting out the huddle and getting ready to go."
Cooks has now logged five straight games, dating back to the end of 2020, where he's finished with 75 receiving yards or more.
He and the Texans will face the Bills on the road a week from Sunday.
See the Texans at home as they host the New England Patriots on October 10th. Kickoff is set for noon CT. Click here for tickets
