Do math: 0-2 bad start in division
The Texans’ AFC South game against Tennessee at NRG Stadium is vital for both teams.
If the Texans win Sunday, they’ll be 2-2 and tied with the Titans. In preseason predictions, Tennessee was voted most likely to end the Texans’ stranglehold on the division.
The Texans, who entered the season with a 14-4 AFC South record under Bill O’Brien, are trying to win the division for a third consecutive season and for the fifth time in seven years.
They got off to a horrendous start in the division, getting humiliated at home 29-7 by Jacksonville. The Texans can’t afford to start 0-2 in the AFC South, especially considering both games were played at NRG Stadium.
If the Titans win, they’ll be 3-1 for the first time since 2013, and they’ll take control of the AFC South with road victories over the Texans and Jacksonville.
The Titans are trying to win the division for the
first time since Jeff Fisher was their coach.
After suffering a 36-33 defeat at New England — a game they could have won before the defense cratered in the last minute — the Texans better make a successful recovery against Tennessee.
The Titans are the first of three consecutive home games for the Texans. Kansas City and Cleveland follow Tennessee into NRG Stadium before the bye week.
Last season, the Texans defeated the Titans and Chiefs at home with Brock Osweiler at quarterback.
By the way, the Texans’ next road game isn’t until Oct. 29 at Seattle.
“We’ve got a good opportunity, there’s no doubt about it,” O’Brien said. “That’s how we have to view it. It’s up to all of us to get better.”
Under O’Brien, the Texans are 5-1 against Tennessee. To make it 6-1, they’ll have to play their best game of the season.
“You have to get better from week to week — that’s what the league’s all about,” O’Brien said. “It’s a race to see who can get better the fastest, not just the players but the players and coaches combined.”
Good time to stay home
Playing three consecutive games at home should help the development of rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Since being promoted to the starting lineup and playing back-to-back road games, Watson has shown remarkable improvement.
Watson’s performance at New England, where he threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns and the Texans generated 417 yards, helped put the Patriots on a pace to shatter the NFL record for most yards allowed.
Now Watson plays the Titans and their legendary defensive coordinator, Dick LeBeau.
There’s no secret about what’s coming. O’Brien and Tennessee coach Mike Mularkey want to run the ball. It’s like their manhood’s being tested with old-fashioned football.
And who can argue with their philosophy?
Last season, the Titans were third in rushing and the Texans eighth.
This season, the Titans are second in rushing (156.3 yards) and the Texans seventh (128.7).
What makes the Titans’ running game so effective is one of the NFL’s premier offensive lines. The linemen clear paths for DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry and protect quarterback Marcus Mariota.
In their victories over Jacksonville and Seattle, the Titans averaged 35 points a game.
And check this out: In the second half against the Jaguars and Seahawks, the Titans averaged 136.5 yards rushing.
Only four teams have averaged more yards rushing in games this season than the Titans averaged in the second half against Jacksonville and Seattle.
“Obviously, they run the ball very well,” O’Brien said. “They have very good running backs — big and physical. They have a big, physical offensive line.
“They do a lot of things well.”
The Texans are coming off an outstanding performance against the run. They limited New England to 59 yards rushing on 20 carries, a 3-yard average.
Fan of playing Titans
And the Texans have a not-so-secret weapon in J.J. Watt, who missed both Tennessee games last season after undergoing back surgery.
One reason the Titans used a first-round pick on right tackle Jack Conklin last year was to help handle Watt.
In 10 games against Tennessee, Watt has 15½ sacks, including at least one in eight consecutive games. He has 32 hits on the quarterback, 19 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles and seven pass deflections.
Not too shabby, huh? Oh, and the Texans are 8-2 when Watt has played against the Titans.
If Watt continues to excel Sunday, Watson takes another step in the right direction and the secondary bounces back from an awful performance at New England, the Texans have a chance to increase Tennessee’s losing streak to six games at NRG Stadium.