Houston Texans turn from Tyrod Taylor to Davis Mills at quarterback

HOUSTON -- The Texans will turn to quarterback Davis Mills for the rest of the season, head coach David Culley said on Friday.

Mills replaced quarterback Tyrod Taylor in Houston's Week 13 loss to the Colts after Taylor was benched in the third quarter.

"I felt like [Mills] gives us the best chance to win," Culley said before the Texans host the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14.

It wasn't long ago that Culley was saying that about Taylor, who signed a one-year deal with Houston in March and was the Texans' clear starting quarterback going into the season. Taylor played well in the first 1 1/2 games of the season before injuring his left hamstring against the Cleveland Browns. Mills replaced Taylor, going 0-6 in his six starts.

Taylor has struggled since his return from injured reserve, throwing five interceptions and taking 12 sacks in four games. When asked why he decided to name Mills the starter for the rest of the year, Culley said, "You've seen the last three ballgames we've played."

"It has nothing to do with Tyrod not being ready to play or anything," Culley said. "It's just we feel like that's the best thing that gives us the chance to win."

Before Taylor was replaced by Mills against the Colts, he completed five of 13 passes for 45 yards. This season, Taylor has completed 60.7% of his passes for 966 yards, with five touchdowns and five interceptions.

"He didn't like the decision," Culley said of telling Taylor that Mills would be the starter. "I wouldn't have liked it either, but this is a production business. At offense, it always starts at the position. We needed a spark. We needed a change. We made the change."