BACKUP PLAN WORKS
Gabbert at the wheel as Titans beat Texans
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans played without their starting quarterback and their top three offensive tackles against J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus and the rest of Houston’s challenging defense.
A few timely tricks helped turn things in the Titans’ favor.
Ryan Succop kicked a 31-yard field goal with 1:00 left, and the battered Titans held off the Texans 20-17 Sunday for Mike Vrabel’s first victory as an NFL head coach. It came in the AFC South opener for both teams and against the team Vrabel worked for the past four seasons.
Succop also kicked a tying 42-yard field goal in the fourth quarter as Tennessee (1-1) delivered with top quarterback Marcus Mariota watching from the sideline while Blaine Gabbert led the offense.
“It’s a huge win,” said Gabbert, who completed 13 of 20 passes for 117 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. “Getting Vrabes his first win as a head coach was awesome. And this team had a lot of adversity throughout the week. The guys fought their way to this win. I’m just extremely proud of those guys.”
The Texans and quarterback Deshaun Watson had the ball last. With 17 seconds left, Watson ran around the field looking for a receiver. He found DeAndre Hopkins for a 31-yard completion to the Tennessee 21, but time expired before the Texans could run another play.
“We tried to take a shot,” Watson said. “We didn’t have any timeouts, and they guarded the sideline very well. My instincts took over … and time ran out.”
Coach Bill O’Brien said the Texans (0-2) were trying to get in fieldgoal range to force overtime.
“We’ve got to do a better job
of coaching that play up,” O’Brien said.
Gabbert, who now has starts for four NFL teams, was given the reins with Mariota sidelined by an elbow injury, sustained in the season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins, that created numbness in his throwing hand.
Vrabel and the Titans got creative. They dipped into the playbook and used some wildcat packages with running back Derrick Henry taking the snaps, and AllPro safety Kevin Byard set an NFL record when he threw a 66-yard touchdown pass on a fake punt.
The Titans’ banged-up offensive line allowed only one sack by the Texans, who were missing a couple of defensive starters — linebacker Jadeveon Clowney and end Christian Covington. Tennessee’s defense had four sacks and an interception, with cornerback Adoree’ Jackson getting his first in the NFL when he beat Hopkins for the ball in the end zone early in the second quarter.
Watson passed for 310 yards, two touchdowns and the interception as Houston outgained Tennessee 437-283 in total offense.
On Tennessee’s opening drive, Byard hit wide-open Dane Cruikshank down the right sideline. It was the longest by a defensive player in the Super Bowl era, easily topping the mark set by Los Angeles Rams defensive back Ed Meador on Nov. 19, 1967.
Byard credited Vrabel with telling him before the game not to second-guess himself and just run the fake if he saw the Titans’ gunner uncovered on the outside.
“He put the trust in me, man, and I really appreciate that,” Byard said of the former NFL linebacker who was a Houston assistant the past four years and coordinated their defense last season.
On the next drive, the Titans went with the wildcat with Henry before Gabbert finished the drive with a screen pass to Taywan Taylor, who went 18 yards for the score and a 14-0 lead before the end of the first quarter.
The Titans threw only 20 passes. Watt, a four-time All-Pro in his eighth NFL season, went against right tackle Tyler Marz, who made his professional debut after being signed from the Titans’ practice squad Saturday. Watt had two tackles for loss but no quarterback hits, and the Texans totaled just two quarterback hits.
Tennessee played without twotime Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan, who is recovering from a concussion, and right tackle Jack Conklin has yet to return after undergoing ACL surgery in January. Dennis Kelly, who had replaced Conklin, was out with an illness, and the start at left tackle went to Kevin Pamphile, a free-agent signee in March.