The Texans used to market their matchups with the Titans as the "TnT" rivalry. There is nothing explosive or even interesting about Sunday’s meeting in the regular season finale. The number of people in Houston who are ex-Oilers fans has steadily diminished over the years. Those who remain will be hard-pressed to work up any bile for this game. Most Texans fans won’t be watching. The Texans are again champions of the garbage AFC South, but a season that opened with five wins in six games has devolved to the point where the Texans may be home underdogs against whichever Wild Card round opponent shows up here next weekend. Are you fired up?!? For their part, the Titans are a Titanic-esque 3-13, with one of those wins coming 32-27 at NRG Stadium. If you’d like to attend in Nashville Sunday (why you would I have no idea), a ticket can be had for eleven bucks, including the fees larded on by the resale sites.

Some would make the argument that the Texans need to play their starters in this game to try to rediscover some mojo after the Baltimore Ravens brutalized them on Christmas Day. C.J. Stroud hasn’t had a good game in over a month, and against the Ravens was plain awful. The all too often pathetic Texans’ pass blocking has done damage to Stroud. One wonders if Nick Caserio has modified his arrogant and/or ignorant position of several weeks ago that those critical of the offensive line were using a “lazy narrative.” The losses of Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell for huge chunks of the season have hurt as well. Still, Stroud deserves blame too for the offense’s overall mediocrity. He has been noticeably less accurate this season. After Stroud’s phenomenal rookie season, only acolytes would characterize this sophomore campaign as better than disappointing. Last season Stroud was named a Pro Bowler (granted, as a replacement for Patrick Mahomes who was occupied preparing to win another Super Bowl). This season if six AFC quarterbacks were named Pro Bowlers Stroud still wouldn’t make the cut. Within the conference among quarterbacks with enough playing time to qualify in the rate statistical categories, the only guys behind Stroud in QBR: largely washed-up Aaron Rodgers, Anthony Richardson, Gardner Minshew, and Will Levis.

Would Stroud benefit from a good game against a feeble opponent? He’s taken 52 sacks this season. Why expose him to injury risk in a game where the outcome means nothing. With 53-man gameday rosters in the NFL teams can’t sit all their starters, but the most important Texans should leave their helmets and shoulder pads in Houston this weekend: Stroud, Joe Mixon, Nico Collins, Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter, and Derek Stingley Jr.. I’ll guess most play some. For instance, Mixon needs seven yards rushing for a 1000-yard season. 1000 yards over 17 games is not a big deal (59 yards per game does it), though Mixon missing three games to injury does mean he has been of the quality generally associated with 1000 yard running backs.

Danielle Hunter would like a word

On the subject of Pro Bowlers, the NFL named the squads Thursday. Thankfully there is no more hideous Pro Bowl game, but the recognition is still meaningful. Laremy Tunsil and Stingley got starting nods, with Mixon and Collins named backups. I imagine a few eyes rolled at reading Tunsil’s selection. Tunsil is a very good tackle who has mostly cleaned up his embarrassing early season false start problems. Should he be a Pro Bowler? It’s not absurd, though as one frame of reference Pro Football Focus ranks Tunsil the 18th best offensive tackle in the league heading into this weekend. Mixon’s selection is questionable but that guy runs hard and has pretty much been exactly what the Texans hoped for when they added him. This is the third consecutive season that Mixon has not fumbled. Collins missing five games makes his choice a non-no brainer (Jaguars rookie Brian Thomas had a strong case), but over the 11 games he has played Collins has been sensational. Stingley has been excellent in this his first healthy season, after missing eight games as a rookie and six last year.

The way the roster is constructed, no Texan was blatantly snubbed, though Danielle Hunter can rightfully ask "What about me?" relative to the Raiders' Maxx Crosby. Will Anderson cannot. A snub exists when a player is omitted for a clearly less deserving player. Attendance is part of the grade. Anderson has played a tick under 55 percent of the Texans’ defensive snaps. Hunter has played over 73 percent. That’s a difference of almost 200 plays. Defensive end selectees Crosby, Myles Garrett, and Trey Hendrickson are all outstanding, all have been on the field for more than 200 plays more than Anderson, and none of them benefit from having a Hunter-caliber d-line mate.

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!