THE PALLILOG
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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The Houston Rockets have been one of the NBA’s more surprising teams this season. After their past three games, they shouldn’t shock anyone.
The Rockets beat the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers twice last week before traveling to Boston and pulling out a 114-112 victory over the defending champion Celtics on Monday night.
“We’re over halfway through now and our record is what it is, so it’s not just a fluke or anything,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “People watch film and see the physicality and the way that we play, it’s a little different than the rest of the league, maybe that catches people off guard initially, but I wouldn’t say we’re sneaking up on anybody anymore at this point in the season.”
Houston (31-14), which is second in the Western Conference, posted its ninth win in 11 games on Monday. Its record is a few percentage points better than that of the defending NBA champion Celtics (32-15).
The Cavs and Celtics were a combined 104-28 (.788) entering their games against Houston. The Rockets became the first team in NBA history to win three straight games against teams with that high of a winning percentage, with a minimum of 40 games for each opponent, according to OptaSTATS.
Amen Thompson hit a floater over Jaylen Brown with 0.7 seconds left to give the Rockets the victory at Boston.
“We feel like we can beat anybody, and this road trip is really proving that,” Thompson said.
Led by a balanced lineup featuring Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, veteran Fred VanVleet, Thompson and Dillon Brooks, the Rockets have been rolling since their 23-point home loss to the Celtics on Jan. 3.
“We don’t like to lose at home, especially to the Celtics,” Thompson said. “We just come in here every day and we just try to win.”
Teams around the league are taking notice of what Houston is doing. After the Cavaliers finished off their 19-point home win over Detroit on Monday, they spent time in the postgame locker room watching the Rockets’ victory.
“We’re just playing hard, playing together,” said Brooks, who finished with a 36 points against Boston, including a 10-of-15 performance from 3-point range.
“We have trust in one another,” Brooks said.
The Rockets are plenty confident, but they understand big wins mean nothing if they can't follow them up. They’ll get that chance Tuesday night when they play at Atlanta.
“Playing some of the top teams obviously gives us some confidence,” Udoka said.