How Texans can build legit win streak, avoid colossal letdown versus Titans
Nov 21, 2024, 5:39 pm
Can the Texans protect CJ Stroud from the Titans' beefy defensive line? Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images.
While wondering what songs Beyoncé packs into a 12-minute Christmas day set at halftime of Texans-Ravens...
A National Football League team couldn't ask for a much easier three game stretch right now than playing the Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Well, the Texans clobbered the Cowboys Monday night, should toss the Titans Sunday, then should have a jolly time in Jacksonville next Sunday. This is not assuming victories, but the Texans definitely should boost their record to 9-4 heading into their open week (it's NOT a bye!).
We're not yet to Thanksgiving and the Texans this Sunday can formalize the inevitable: Again this season the Tennessee Titans will not have a better record than the Texans. The 7-4 Texans should feast at the 2-8 Titans' expense at NRG Stadium. The Titans' last four losses have all come by at least 10 points. For information purposes only, the Texans should make it five.
The Titans' biggest strength does go up against the Texans' biggest area of concern. That means the Titans' interior defensive line vs. the Texans' interior offensive line. Jeffery Simmons is an elite defensive tackle and second round rookie DT T'Vondre Sweat out of the University of Texas is 350+ pounds of good. Juice Scruggs, Jarrett Patterson, and Shaq Mason will have their hands full---hopefully not of Simmons's and Sweat's jerseys. Hopefully not hands caught anyway. There might not be a lot of good inside running opportunities for Joe Mixon, but he has been fabulous at making more out of not much. Mixon has had at least 20 carries in five straight games. It would behoove the Texans to lighten Mixon's workload with a couple earlier blowouts of grossly inferior opponents.
The Simmons/Sweat tandem is pretty much the only thing the Titans have in their favor. Despite that duo doing work inside, the Titans have mustered just 20 sacks because they have no pass rusher in Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson's league. In what is an eyebrow-raising and deceptive stat, the Titans are giving up the second fewest yards per game in the NFL this season. The Texans rank a strong number four (the Philadelphia Eagles are number one). But the Titans have just seven takeaways in 10 games. The Texans have 20. Amazingly, no Tennessee cornerback has an interception this season. Safety Amani Hooker has all three of their picks. Only the also lousy Las Vegas Raiders have a worse turnover margin than the Titans' minus-11 (the Raiders are minus-15). The Texans are plus-eight.
The Titans' offense is much worse than the defense. The Titans' paltry 17 points scored per game ranks fifth worst in the league. Only twice in their 10 games have they topped 17 points, the only time in their last six games took overtime in a 20-17 win over the Patriots. First year head coach Brian Callahan was hired away from Cincinnati as an “offensive guy” after five seasons as the Bengals' offensive coordinator. Callahan sure looked smarter with Joe Burrow as his quarterback and Ja'Marr Chase as his top wide receiver than he has with Will Levis and Calvin Ridley in those roles. In his second-season without much around him, Levis is not hopeless at QB, but definitely has not given strong evidence that he is “the guy.”
Turn back the clock
There aren't all that many people left who still despise the Titans as the franchise that left Houston for Nashville. We're approaching 28 years since the Houston Oilers played their final game. Still, for those with longstanding animosity, and/or for those who like seeing a divisional foe stink, these are good times. In the spirit of next week's holiday, the Titans are a big turkey ready to be basted.
Just three seasons ago Mike Vrabel was coaching the Titans to a 12-5 record, their second straight AFC South crown, and the top seed in the AFC playoffs. That same 2021 season Texans' fans endured David Culley as head coach of a 4-13 debacle. Given the current state of the franchises, it feels more like 10 years ago. Let's go back a bit more than a decade...
"On paper" is never a guarantee, but Texans-Titans "on paper" this week is about as fair a fight as Andre Johnson vs. Cortland Finnegan in 2010:
If you're wondering, no, Finnegan is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But let's be fair, he had a good career, highlighted by a first team All-Pro selection for the 2008 season (his only Pro Bowl season).
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
The Astros are always in season for discussion. Our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts drop Mondays: Click here to watch!
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Tennessee (2-8) at Houston (7-4)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS
BetMGM NFL Odds: Texans by 8 1/2.
Against the spread: Tennessee 1-9; Houston 5-5-1.
Series record: Titans lead 23-21.
Last meeting: Texans beat Titans 26-3 on Dec. 31, 2023, in Houston.
Last week: Titans lost to Vikings 23-13; Texans beat Cowboys 34-10.
Titans offense: overall (25), rush (18), pass (29), scoring (28).
Titans defense: overall (2), rush (12), pass (1), scoring (26).
Texans offense: overall (14), rush (13), pass (14), scoring (14).
Texans defense: overall (4), rush (9), pass (6), scoring (11).
Turnover differential: Titans minus-11, Texans plus-8.
Titans player to watch
QB Will Levis. He doesn't have a win yet in his two games back since missing three straight with a sprained AC joint in his right, throwing shoulder. But the second-year quarterback has completed 64.8% of his passes (35 of 54) for 470 yards with three TD passes and only one interception. He's also been using his legs on designed runs as well as scrambling 12 times for 59 yards. He's also been sacked 12 times since his return. Last week, Levis tied the franchise record for the longest TD pass first set in 1962 with a 98-yard catch-and-run to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. That also was the longest play in the NFL this season.
Texans player to watch
RB Joe Mixon had 153 yards of offense and a season-high three touchdowns Monday night. He ran for 109 yards and had 44 yards receiving. He has had at least 90 yards from scrimmage in six straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL. Mixon has had at least 100 yards rushing in six of his eight games this season and his nine rushing touchdowns in the past six games are a franchise record for a six-game span.
Key matchup
The Texans pass rush against a Tennessee offensive line that has allowed 33 sacks, 27 of those with Levis in the game. Right tackle has been a revolving door for the Titans with three different starters and five players who've rotated into that spot. Nicholas Petit-Frere got back into the starting lineup last week only to split the reps almost evenly with Isaiah Prince, who was flagged three times for illegal formation. The Texans have sacked Levis eight times in two games last season.
Key injuries
Titans: CB L'Jarius Sneed (quadriceps) will miss a fifth straight game. ... RB Tyjae Spears is in the concussion protocol. ... Houston DE Will Anderson is expected to return after missing two games with an ankle injury. ... DE Denico Autry missed practice this week with a knee injury. ... CB Kamari Lassiter should return after missing a game in the concussion protocol.
Series notes
The Texans have won three straight in this rivalry between the team they replaced in Houston after the old Oilers relocated to Tennessee in 1997. They became the Titans in 1999, and they've been divisional foes since realignment in 2002. ... The Titans are 11-11 at NRG Stadium in Houston. ... Before the Texans' most recent win in this series, the previous four games all were decided by no more than a touchdown.
Stats and stuff
The Texans are among six AFC teams with at least seven wins or more and are chasing their second straight South title. ... This starts a two-game road swing for the Titans against teams with a combined record of 14-8. ... Westbrook-Ikhine leads the Titans with five TD catches all in the past six games. He had his third career 100-yard receiving performance last week with 117 yards. ... The Titans allowed 82 yards rushing last week with an average of 2.5 yards per carry. ... OLB Arden key has five sacks over the past five games. ... Titans K Nick Folk has made an NFL record streak of 84 field goals on attempts of less than 40 yards. ... Folk has 396 field goals and needs four more to tie for 14th-most all time. That also would make him the third active kicker with at least 400 field goals with Justin Tucker and Matt Prater. ... Texans QB C.J. Stroud threw for 257 yards and had 26 yards rushing against Dallas. Stroud is 6-1 in his past seven starts at home with a 90 or better passer rating in six of those games. Stroud has thrown 14 TD passes and rushed for another score with a 114.5 passer rating in eight starts in the AFC South. ... WR Nico Collins has had at least 50 yards receiving in each of his six games this season and his past 10 overall, including the playoffs. ... DE Danielle Hunter had three TFLs and two sacks last week. He has 7 1/2 sacks this season and is only the seventh NFL player since 1982 with at least six sacks in each of his first nine seasons. ... DE Denico Autry had a sack last week. Autry had 28 1/2 sacks over his past three seasons with the Titans. ... CB Derek Stingley is tied for third in the NFL with 12 passes defended this season.
Fantasy tip
Collins had four receptions for 54 yards last week in his return after missing five games with a hamstring injury. He would have had a lot more, but a 77-yard touchdown reception on the game's opening play was called back because of an ineligible man downfield. He leads the NFL by averaging 103.5 yards receiving a game.