DAVID JOHNSON

Houston rookie Davis Mills threw for a career-high 331 yards and a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks starting in place of Tyrod Taylor, who was benched after the Texans were shut out 31-0 by the Colts last week.

Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams hurried, harassed and all-around befuddled Houston Texans rookie Davis Mills.

Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds had the first of Buffalo’s four interceptions, and the Bills suffocated the offensively inept Houston Texans 40-0.

The undefeated Carolina Panthers and their top-ranked defense will face a rookie making his first NFL start for the second time this season Thursday against Davis Mills and the Houston Texans.

Tyrod Taylor threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns filling in for Deshaun Watson to lead the Houston Texans to a 37-21 win over Trevor Lawrence and the mistake-prone Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Houston Texans begin camp with quarterback Deshaun Watson's status overshadowing everything else.

Running back Mark Ingram has agreed to a one-year contract with the Houston Texans, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams, File)HOUSTON – Running back Mark Ingram has agreed to a one-year contract with the Houston Texans, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The addition of Ingram gives Houston’s running game a much-needed boost after the Texans averaged the second-fewest yards rushing a game last season that included a weak year from David Johnson. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2016 and 2017, capped by a career-high 1,124 yards rushing in 2017. AdA three-time Pro Bowler, Ingram has 7,324 yards rushing with 62 TDs in his career.

HOUSTON – Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins have weighed in on reports that Deshaun Watson is unhappy and wants to be traded by the Houston Texans. On Tuesday both Johnson, who is retired, and Hopkins, who Bill O’Brien traded to Arizona in March, expressed their views on the situation on Twitter. “The Texans organization is known for wasting players (sic) careers. He was widely criticized for trading Hopkins, who has been one of the league’s most consistent receivers for years, for running back David Johnson and draft picks. The 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Watson signed a four-year, $156 million contract extension before this season.

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)HOUSTON – The Houston Texans know Deshaun Watson is the quarterback they need to lead them next year and beyond. First on the list of priorities for the Texans is to hire a coach and general manager. That’s pretty obvious.”DECISIONS ON OFFENSEWhile the Texans are set with Watson, they have plenty of other decisions to make on offense. Star receiver Will Fuller is a free agent and Watson has been vocal about his desire for the Texans to re-sign him.

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) breaks away from Houston Texans defensive end Charles Omenihu (94) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Houston. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)HOUSTON – The Tennessee Titans won the AFC South on Sunday. All it took was Derrick Henry surpassing 2,000 yards rushing and rookie Sam Sloman’s 37-yard field goal that bounced off the upright and through for a 41-38 victory over the Houston Texans. The Titans then capped a long drive with a 5-yard TD run by Ryan Tannehill with less than two minutes remaining. Henry had put the Titans on top 10-3 when he dashed 52 yards early in the second quarter.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt leaves the field after a losing an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Houston. HOUSTON – The Houston Texans have been bad all season. Sunday was the third time in the past four games the Texans have had a chance to win or tie a game late but lost a fumble instead. “And in my mind, for me, he brings a high level of hope for us to be able to win a game. The Titans beat the Texans 42-36 in overtime in Week 6 behind a 212-yard rushing performance from Derrick Henry.

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Houston. That preparation paid off on Sunday when Samaje Perine scored a 3-yard touchdown late to give the Bengals their first road win in more than two years with a 37-31 victory over the Houston Texans. It’s the first road win for Taylor, who is in his second season, and the first time the Bengals (4-10-1) won away from Cincinnati since a 37-36 victory at Atlanta on Sept. 30, 2018. Perine put the Bengals up 17-10 when he ran 46 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. The Bengals took an early lead when Allen found Drew Sample wide open for an 8-yard touchdown on their first drive.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Zach Pascal (14) makes a catch under pressure from Houston Texans free safety Eric Murray (23) in the first half of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard made his final punch count Sunday. Bobby Okereke recovered the skittering ball in the end zone for the Colts' second win in three weeks over the Texans — in almost the exact same way. Watson answered by marching the Texans to the Colts 21. Sanchez punted in that week's game, a loss to Tennessee.

(AP Photo/Aaron Doster)Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott is inactive against San Francisco with a calf injury the two-time rushing championship has been battling for several weeks. Safety Deon Bush (foot) is also out after being listed questionable with Johnson. Cowboys: RB Ezekiel Elliott, QB Ben DiNucci, WR Malik Turner, CB Rashard Robinson, DE Bradlee Anae, LB Luke Gifford, DE Ron’Dell Carter. ___JACKSONVILLE AT BALTIMOREJaguars: CB Sidney Jones, CB Luq Barcoo, LB Quincy Williams, DT Daniel Ross, QB Jake Luton. Ravens: DE Calais Campbell, CB Jimmy Smith, CB Marcus Peters, RB Mark Ingram, LB Kristian Welch, DE Jihad Ward, C Trystan Colon-Castillo.

Micah Potter scored 20 points and Aleem Ford added 12 to lead the Badgers an 85-48 non-conference victory over short-handed No. Louisville (4-1), playing its first road game, originally had been scheduled to play at Wisconsin on Dec. 9. Trevor Anderson added 11 points and Brad Davison 10 for Wisconsin (6-1), which rolled to a 44-18 halftime lead. “Obviously really pleased with the way we played,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. Wisconsin finished the half 10 of 17 beyond the arc, including three each by Trice and Davison.

Daniel Jones is active and is expected to start at quarterback for the New York Giants against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. After missing last week’s game with a hamstring injury, Jones practiced fully for the first time on Friday. Jaguars: QB Jake Luton, CB Luq Barcoo, LB Kamalei Correa, LB Quincy Williams, C Brandon Linder, TE Tyler Davis, DE Reggie Gilbert. Giants: WR Dante Pettis, CB Darnay Holmes (knee), ILB T.J. Brunson, OT Kyle Murphy, OT Jackson Barton, DE R.J. McIntosh. Buccaneers: DL Khalil Davis, CB Jamel Dean, RB Leonard Fournette, QB Ryan Griffin, TE Tanner Hudson, DL Jeremiah Ledbetter.

HOUSTON – The Houston Texans have placed running back David Johnson on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Johnson missed practice on Thursday and the report said his absence was not injury-related. On Friday morning, before Johnson was placed on the COVID-19 list, interim coach Romeo Crennel said Johnson missed practice a day earlier for a “personal issue." The 28-year-old has just 452 yards rushing this season in a year where the Texans rank last in the NFL, averaging 84.4 yards rushing a game. Johnson missed three games after suffering a concussion on Nov. 8 before returning last week in a loss to the Colts.

Indianapolis Colts middle linebacker Anthony Walker (54) celebrates with teammates after he recovered a fumble by Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)HOUSTON – With their offense sputtering in the second half Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts turned to their defense to seal a win over the Houston Texans. Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes in the first half and the defense dominated after that, lifting the Colts to the 26-20 victory. Their offense didn't score after that, but the defense held Houston (4-8) scoreless in the second half and Justin Houston added a safety with a sack of Watson in the end zone. With Sunday's shutout in the second half, the Colts are allowing an average of 7.33 points in the second half of games this season.

(AP Photo/Aaron Doster)The New York Giants will be without starting quarterback Daniel Jones for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. Jones was not expected to play because of a hamstring injury suffered last week against Cincinnati. Colt McCoy will make his first start of the season at QB for the Giants. Seattle was without both starting right tackle Brandon Shell (ankle) and backup Cedric Ogbuehi (calf) leaving a major question on the offensive line. ___CLEVELAND-TENNESSEEBrowns: WR Taywan Taylor, WR KhaDarel Hodge, CB Denzel Ward, RB Dontrell Hilliard, S Tedric Thompson, DE Joe Jackson.

The Houston Texans have struggled to run the ball all season long. The Texans finished with season lows of 153 yards passing and 243 total yards in their 10-7 loss to the Browns. Deshaun Watson, who entered Sunday averaging 280.8 yards passing, acknowledged that the weather conditions made things difficult on him. The Texans entered the game ranked 31st in the NFL with an average of 87.6 yards rushing per game. As bad as the Texans played offensively, they were in the game at the very end.

The unbeaten Pittsburgh Steelers wound up relatively healthy for their game against the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals following a brush with the novel coronavirus. Defensive tackle Tyson Alualu is also back after missing a game with a knee injury. Cincinnati is without running back Joe Mixon, whose lingering foot injury is forcing him to miss a third game in a row. Receiver Cooper Kupp, left tackle Andrew Whitworth and running back Darrell Henderson all were active after missing practices with injuries. Raiders: T Kolton Miller (ankle), DT Maurice Hurst (ankle), QB Marcus Mariota, RB Theo Riddick, G John Simpson, DT Daniel Ross.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Deshaun Watson might never lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars. All of them, including the team's only two wins this season, came with Watson at the helm. The Jaguars would have become the first to allow at least 30 points in seven consecutive games in a single season. Jaguars players screamed at officials as Watson snapped the ball, insisting the play clock was at zero, and Marrone was livid afterward. And that’s all I’m saying about that one.”KEY INJURIESTexans: Already down three linebackers to start the game, Houston lost another in the first quarter when Brennan Scarlett injured an arm.

HOUSTON – Interim coach Romeo Crennel was asked what’s next for the Houston Texans after yet another loss this weekend dropped them at 1-6. Houston held the Packers to 96 yards rushing with Aaron Jones out with an injury a week after allowing a season-high 263 yards rushing in an overtime loss to Tennessee. “You are what your record says you are.”WHAT’S WORKINGQuarterback Deshaun Watson continues to make the team’s passing game the bright spot in this dismal season. He ranks second in the NFL with 2,095 yards passing and hasn’t thrown an interception in two games. Johnson managed just 42 yards rushing and lost a fumble after a reception in the fourth quarter.

HOUSTON – Aaron Rodgers threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns and the Green Bay Packers rebounded from their first loss with a 35-20 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday. Green Bay made it 35-13 when Jamaal Williams scored on a 1-yard run with about four minutes to go. The home crowd, which was limited to 13,000, because of coronavirus restrictions, was filled with Green Bay fans in the team’s first trip to Houston since 2012. The Packers took an early lead when Adams grabbed a 3-yard touchdown reception on the first possession. Watson threw for 309 yards with two touchdowns and former Green Bay receiver Randall Cobb had 95 yards receiving.

On Monday, interim coach Romeo Crennel said he appreciated Watt’s sentiment, but that the loss was not on him. The Titans finished with 263 yards rushing, the most yards rushing the Texans have allowed this season. He had just 57 yards rushing against the Titans to leave the Texans ranked 31st in the NFL in yards rushing with just 85.8 a game. KEY NUMBER1 — Bradley Roby intercepted Tannehill in the fourth quarter on Sunday to give the Texans their first interception of the season. He had a season-low 15 yards rushing on Sunday in a loss to Tampa Bay, but could still challenge Houston’s struggling run defense after running for a career-high 168 yards in Week 2.

Henry took a direct snap and ran 5 yards for a touchdown 3:30 into overtime and the Titans remained undefeated, rallying to beat the Houston Texans 42-36 on Sunday. “Obviously, we all witnessed somebody taking a game over,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said of Henry. Watson's final TD pass put Houston (1-5) up 36-29 with 1:50 left, but his pass to Randall Cobb on the 2-point conversion attempt failed. Coach Romeo Crennel, in his second game since replacing the fired Bill O'Brien, said he went for the conversion in a bid to put the game out of reach. Watson answered two plays later with a 53-yard TD pass to Will Fuller for a 30-29 lead with 8:37 left.

HOUSTON – The Houston Texans finally picked up a win this weekend in their first game since coach Bill O’Brien was fired. Now the Texans are looking to build on what they did in the victory over the Jaguars with interim coach Romeo Crennel and improve this week when they are scheduled to visit the Titans. “I saw the fight during the course of the game,” Crennel said. They held the Jaguars to just 75 yards rushing after entering the game allowing 181.8 yards a game. He has 319 yards rushing in just three games and ran for 211 yards in his previous game against Houston.

Deshaun Watson threw for a season-high 359 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was recovered by Whitney Mercilus, who fumbled on the return, but the Texans pounced on the ball to keep it. Houston (1-4) pushed the lead to 30-14 when Watson found Brandin Cooks on a 28-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-4 with about five minutes remaining. The Texans were able to overcome two interceptions by Watson by taking advantage of two fumbles by the Jaguars. EJECTEDFor the second week in a row a player was ejected for targeting after a hit on a Texans player.

Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien, center, gives signals from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)HOUSTON – The Houston Texans had faith that coach Bill O'Brien was the man to lead them to their first championship. O'Brien repeatedly thanked the McNair family for the chance to coach the Texans and apologized for falling below their expectations. Romeo Crennel, who was the team's assistant head coach, will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season. I think football is the ultimate team game, so I really there’s no doubt in my mind that I want to coach again."

HOUSTON – Houston Texans coach and general manager Bill O’Brien has been fired by the organization after more than six seasons with the franchise. The Texans fell to 0-4 for the first time since 2008, losing 31-23 to the previously winless Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. O’Brien was 52-48 overall as the Texans head coach. He is the first NFL head coach to be fired this season. Romeo Crennel will serve as our interim head coach for the remainder of the 2020 season.

HOUSTON – Dalvin Cook could be due for a big game Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings visit the Houston Texans in a matchup of winless teams. Cook ranks third in the NFL in yards rushing after running for a career-high 181 yards last week in a loss to Tennessee. Houston (0-3) has the worst run defense in the NFL, allowing a whopping 188.3 yards rushing a game this season. Houston ranks 31st in the NFL in yards rushing with just 66 a game. “You just get to work,” Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins said.

And the Houston Texans quickly find themselves running of time to get it going in 2020. A 28-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday dropped Houston to 0-3 for the second time in three years. A week ago, Baltimore pushed the Texans around late to fend off any hopes of a comeback. At an empty Heinz Field, the Steelers put together drives of 79 yards and 62 yards in the fourth quarter. “Playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, they’re going to wear you down if they possess the ball like that.

HOUSTON – The Houston Texans have been terrible against the run to start this season and it has left them in an 0-2 hole with a trip to Pittsburgh looming on Sunday. David Johnson, in his first season with the Texans after being traded from Arizona for DeAndre Hopkins, managed 34 yards rushing on Sunday. Houston finished with 51 yards rushing in a game in which they played without backup running back Duke Johnson, who sat out with an ankle injury. “It’s a massive, massive key to the game,” defensive end J.J. Watt said. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year also hit Jackson three other times and batted down one of his passes in the fourth quarter.

That run includes a come-from-behind 51-31 victory over the Texans in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Texans' Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score, but he also was under relentless pressure and was intercepted once. The elusive Johnson finished it off by scampering 19 yards to the end zone for a 7-0 lead. Watson threw a touchdown pass and ran for a TD later in the quarter to make the final score a bit more respectable. The teams then stood together in a line that stretched from one end zone to the other for a moment of silence before the coin toss.

Fans watch the Kansas City Chiefs during NFL football training camp Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Chiefs coach Andy Reid no longer carries around the heavy and ignominious tag of best coach never to win a championship. This is the best opportunity you can have to start the season.That contract extension is the second largest in NFL history. Very, very dynamic players, Texans coach Bill O'Brien said. They also will miss cornerback Bashaud Breeland and defensive tackle Mike Pennel, who are suspended for the start of the season.

Hopkins and the Cardinals agreed to a two-year contract extension on Tuesday that will keep the three-time All-Pro in Arizona through the 2024 season. Hopkins said he worked on about 90% of the deal and had some help from advisers. Cardinals GM Steve Keim said it was a great process and he got to know the receiver even better during negotiations. It was our goal all along to get (Hopkins) extended, Keim said. I was like, man, if I could be in this offense, a pass-first offense one day, the sky's the limit, Hopkins said.

HOUSTON TEXANS (11-7)CAMP SITE: HoustonLAST YEAR: Won AFC South for second straight year and fourth time in five seasons behind strong play of quarterback Deshaun Watson. IMPORTANT LOSSES: WR DeAndre Hopkins, RBs Carlos Hyde and Lamar Miller, CB Johnathan Joseph, NT D.J. PANDEMIC CHALLENGES: Texans must navigate getting players back to camp and keeping them safe in city that has emerged as hotspot for coronavirus. Watson must integrate Johnson into offense and adjust to new-look of unit without Hopkins. It will be tall task without Hopkins, who has carried offense for years, but Texans could still be dangerous team behind Watson and with defense featuring J.J. Watt.

FILE - In this Oct. 24 2019, file photo, Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook walks on the field before an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins in Minneapolis. The Vikings have centered their offense around running back Dalvin Cook and praised him at every turn, but now the bill has come due. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn, FIle)MINNEAPOLIS Dalvin Cook logged off last week from virtual team activities with the Minnesota Vikings, no longer willing to participate until he has secured a new contract. The three-year, $39 million contract Arizona gave David Johnson, who's now with Houston, might be the most realistic model. Gordon took a two-year, $8 million contract with Denver.