How Houston Texans can pivot from letdown to their finest hour versus Titans
TEXANS ON TAP
12 December 2023
Sitting at 7-6, the Houston Texans head to Nashville for a critical game against DeAndre Hopkins and the Titans.
The Titans are coming off a big upset victory over the Miami Dolphins, and the Texans are fresh off an embarrassing loss to the New York Jets.
Making matters worse, CJ Stroud is in concussion protocol, which will likely force Davis Mills or Case Keenum to make the start for the Texans.
And let's not forget, WR Nico Collins exited Sunday's game with a calf injury, so his status is also up in the air.
Silver lining
All is not lost if the Texans have to roll with Mills or Keenum this week. Davis Mills and the Texans went to Nashville and won on Christmas Eve last year.
And what typically kills the Texans each time they face the Titans is running back Derrick Henry. He seemingly rushed for 200 yards each time he faced Houston.
But this is a different Texans defense with DeMeco Ryans, they have gone from being one of the worst rush defenses to now one of the best. The Texans are currently the 8th-best rushing defense, allowing an average of 95.62 yards per game on the ground. Last year they were dead last in rushing defense giving up 170.24 yards per game. Now that's improvement.
Behind enemy lines
The Titans are 25th in points scored per game (18.5) and are in the bottom half of the league in practically every offensive category. And that includes rushing yards, so this isn't the Derrick Henry-led Titans team of past seasons.
On defense, Tennessee is in the middle of the pack in most categories. However, they are dead last in interceptions (3). So if the Texans want to take some chances down the field with a backup quarterback, this might be the week to do it.
Some betting sites still don't have this game on the board, as we wait to see if CJ Stroud will play. But others have put out a line, making the Texans 2.5 point road dogs.
Be sure to watch the video above for our early preview of Texans-Titans.
And don't miss Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel. Be sure to hit like and subscribe!
Trevor Story and Ceddanne Rafaela had consecutive RBI singles in a six-run fourth inning filled with five Houston mistakes, Lucas Giolito pitched a season-high eight stellar innings, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Astros 6-1 on Sunday to complete a series sweep.
Connor Wong added a sacrifice fly and Wilyer Abreu was credited with a sacrifice on a safety squeeze for an RBI during the inning, sending Boston to its third straight win over the AL West leaders and fourth in a row overall.
Giolito (8-2) gave up the run on three hits with four strikeouts and a walk, eclipsing his previous season-high innings of 7 2/3 on July 4.
Carlos Correa, acquired from Minnesota at the trade deadline, hit a homer for Houston, which has lost eight of 10.
The game’s first pitch was 11:38 a.m. EDT, the third time this season the Red Sox began a game in the morning. The others: their annual Patriots’ Day game when they beat the White Sox and the Independence Day victory at the Nationals.
Framber Valdez (11-5) gave up six runs, four earned, over six innings, ending his personal 10-game winning streak. He entered 10-0 with a 1.84 ERA in his previous 14 starts.
Key moment
During the fourth, Houston missed a cutoff on Story’s run-scoring single, Valdez had a wild pitch, balked home a run and had Abreu’s bunt go under his glove for an error. Yainer Diaz had a passed ball.
Key stat
Valdez hadn’t allowed three runs in an inning since May 19.
Up next
Astros: RHP Jason Alexander (1-1, 7.36 ERA) is slated to start the opener of a three-game series at the Marlins on Monday.
Red Sox: RHP Brayan Bello (7-5, 3.19) is set to start the first of three against the Royals on Monday.
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