Texans (8-5) at Titans (8-5)
Texans schedule
L ... at New Orleans ... 30-28 W ..... Jacksonville ..... 13-12 W ... at LA Chargers ... 27-20 L .......... Carolina .......... 16-10 W .......... Atlanta .......... 53-32 W ...atKansasCity ...31-24 L .... at Indianapolis .... 30-23 W ......... Oakland ......... 27-24 W at Jacksonville (Lon.) 26-3
BYE
L ........ at Baltimore ........ 41-7 W ..... Indianapolis ..... 20-17 W .... NewEngland .... 28-22 L ............ Denver ............ 38-24 Dec. 15 .... at Tennessee .... 1 Dec. 21 .... at Tampa Bay .... 1 Dec. 29 ...... Tennessee ....... 1
Titans schedule
W .... at Cleveland .... 43-13 L ..... Indianapolis ..... 19-17 L ............ at Jax ............ 20-7 W ...... atAtlanta ...... 24-10 L ........... Buffalo ........... 14-7 L ......... at Denver ......... 16-0 W ... L.A. Chargers ... 23-20 W ..... TampaBay ..... 27-23 L ...... atCarolina ...... 30-20 W ..... Kansas City ..... 35-32
BYE
W .... Jacksonville .... 42-20 W .. at Indianapolis .. 31-17 W ...... at Oakland ...... 42-21 Dec. 15 ....... Houston ....... 1 Dec. 22 ... New Orleans ... 1 Dec. 29 .... at Houston .... 1
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee TV: CBS
Danny Sheridan’s line: by 3
Texans’ keys to victory: Starting fast and keeping the momentum will be important for the Texans, who have just 30 first-quarter points this season, the secondlowest total in the NFL. They can’t fall behind against a new-look Titans team with a home-field advantage. Generating a pass rush will be vital given that Houston is in the bottom 10 in the league in sacks. In what could be a close game, the Texans also will want to come out on the right side of the turnover battle and take care of the football against a talented Titans secondary.
Titans’ keys to victory: Good quarterback play has made all of the difference for the Titans this season, and QB Ryan Tannehill will need to stay hot in order for this offense to keep rolling in the right direction. On defense, takeaways will be key. S Kevin Byard leads the NFL in interceptions (16) since 2017. The Titans also have been solid on special teams in many aspects, including blocked field goals. Things like that could make all of the difference in what’s sure to be a gritty, close game.
Matchup to watch: Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins vs. Titans CB Logan Ryan. This has been a matchup to watch each time these two rivals have faced each other. The Titans have stressed the importance of limiting big plays, and if anyone can break away to come up with a game-changing reception for the Texans, it’s Hopkins.
Who wins? Having moved into a tie with the Texans for first place in the AFC South, the Titans have a new energy and have played well against division opponents lately.
Titans, 21-17
Titans