Texans domination keeps playoff hopes alive, sets up ultimate battle
TEXANS ON TAP
31 December 2023
C.J. Stroud threw for 213 yards and a touchdown in his return from a concussion and the Houston Texans rolled to a 26-3 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday to boost their playoff chances.
Houston (9-7), Indianapolis and Jacksonville all won Sunday to leave the three teams with identical records in the AFC South and keep the Texans in contention for both the division title and a playoff spot.
A victory next week at Indianapolis will guarantee the Texans, who won just three games last season, their first postseason berth since 2019.
Stroud, the second overall pick in the draft, hadn’t played since hitting the back of his head hard on the turf in a loss to the Jets Dec. 10. He picked up right where he left off before the injury, moving the offense effectively and throwing his 21st touchdown pass of the season in the second quarter.
The Texans had a 17-point lead at halftime with some help from a touchdown on defense after Sheldon Rankins returned a fumble by rookie quarterback Will Levis for a score in the second quarter.
Levis injured his foot on the play and Ryan Tannehill took over. He threw for 168 yards but couldn’t get the Titans in the end zone as Tennessee (5-11) fell to Houston for the second time in three weeks.
The Texans pushed the lead to 23-3 on a field goal in the third quarter. The Titans had a chance to cut the lead after that, but they came up empty at the end of a 17-play drive when Tannehill’s pass on fourth-and-3 from the 3 was incomplete.
Houston made it 26-3 on a 51-yard field goal with about 5½ minutes to go.
The Titans had Houston stopped at its 11-yard line late in the first quarter, but Caleb Murphy was flagged for running into the kicker to give the Texans a first down.
Houston capped a 13-play, 89-yard drive with a 12-yard reception by Brevin Jordan to make it 10-0 with about 10 minutes left in the second.
On the next play, Levis lost the ball on a strip-sack by Jerry Hughes. Then Rankins, a 287-pound defensive tackle scooped it up and returned it 13 yards for a touchdown to extend the lead to 17-0.
Ka’imi Fairbairn's 38-yard field goal made it 20-0 with about four minutes left in the first half.
Tennessee got its only points on a 53-yard field goal by Nick Folk as time expired in the second quarter.
Houston defensive end Will Anderson, the third overall pick in the draft, had sacks on consecutive plays near the end of the second quarter in his return after missing two games with an ankle injury.
Former Texans star DeAndre Hopkins had seven receptions for 72 yards for the Titans. Derrick Henry had 12 carries for 42 yards after being limited to 9 yards on 16 carries by the Texans two weeks ago.
INJURIES
Titans OL Daniel Brunskill injured his ankle in the first half. … WR Colton Dowell left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury. … Houston LT Laremy Tunsil injured his groin in the second quarter. … WR Noah Brown injured a hip in the second quarter. … WR Robert Woods left in the fourth quarter with a hip injury.
UP NEXT
Titans: Wrap up their season next Sunday with a visit from the Jaguars.
Texans: Visit Indianapolis next Sunday.
Check out the video above for the full breakdown!
José Soriano and two relievers combined for a two-hitter and Oswald Peraza hit his first home run since a trade from the Yankees to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Soriano (10-9) allowed one hit and struck out eight in seven innings. Luis García allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen threw a perfect ninth for his 25th save.
There were two outs in the fifth when Peraza connected off Hunter Brown (10-7) into the bullpen in right-center field to put the Angels up 1-0. His homer comes after his two-run single in the ninth inning Saturday helped Los Angeles to a 4-1 victory that snapped a three-game skid.
Yoan Moncada walked to start the eighth and scored on Mike Trout’s double that bounced off the wall in center field to make it 2-0. Taylor Ward walked before Luis Rengifo reached and Trout scored on an error by Lance McCullers Jr. when the pitcher overthrew first base.
Yordan Alvarez singled with no outs in the first and Soriano walked a batter in the second and sixth innings. The Astros didn’t get another hit until Ramón Urías doubled with one out in the eighth inning. Los Angeles outfielder Taylor Ward was injured trying to make a catch on that hit when he crashed face-first into the metal scoreboard in left field.
He was carted off the field holding a towel to the right side of his face. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance where interim manager Ray Montgomery said he would receive stitches to close the cut and be evaluated.
Brown allowed three hits and a run with five strikeouts in six innings. McCullers Jr. allowed three hits and two runs in his first relief appearance since 2018.
Key moment
The home run by Peraza.
Key stat
It’s the fifth time the Astros have been shut out this month.
Up next
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 3.68 ERA) will start for Los Angeles in the series finale Monday against RHP Luis Garcia, who’ll make his return after sitting out since May 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
