The Houston Texans (1-4) hit the road this weekend, and they will look to record their second-straight victory against the divisional rival Tennessee Titans (4-0). Deshaun Watson and Co. catch Tennessee on a short week, as the Titans dismantled the undefeated Buffalo Bills on Tuesday night, 42-16. Despite the fact that a COVID-19 outbreak kept Mike Vrabel's squad off the field for two weeks and that the Titans were missing several key players, this team was excited to return to action, and Ryan Tannehill was surgical in running the offense.
Tannehill accounted for four total touchdowns and it feels like people are finally waking up to the fact that he may be one of the better signal-callers in the NFL. Tannehill has won 13 games since becoming Tennessee's starter last season (including playoffs), and that is tied with Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers for the most in that span. The Titans' secondary was also a big reason they were able to stay in the win column this past week. Josh Allen and the Bills came into the game boasting the No. 2 passing offense in the league, as they averaged 316.3 passing yards per game and 30.8 points per game -- which ranked No. 5 in the league. Despite this, Tennessee's defense held Allen to 263 passing yards and picked him off twice.
As for the Texans, they earned their first victory of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, 30-14. Watson finally appeared to establish a rapport with one of his new wideouts, as Brandin Cooks exploded for 161 yards and a touchdown on eight catches. Firing head coach/general manager Bill O'Brien apparently helped the offense, as Houston exploded for 486 yards of total offense in Week 5.
The Texans aren't out of the postseason race just yet, and a win over an undefeated AFC South team this week would certainly put them back on track. Before we get into the details of Sunday's matchup, let's break down how you can keep up with the action:
How to watch
Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
TV: CBS | Stream: CBS All Access
Follow: CBS Sports App
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Preview
The Titans lead the all-time series against the Texans, 19-17, but have lost two out of the last three games. Tannehill will likely look to continue to build on the chemistry he established with wide receiver A.J. Brown last week, as the second-year wideout caught seven passes for 82 yards and a touchdown in his first game back after suffering a bone bruise. The Titans will also look to get running back Derrick Henry going, who rushed for 57 yards and two touchdowns last week. Henry has found success against AFC South opponents as of late, and rushed for 211 yards and three touchdowns in Tennessee's last meeting with Houston. This also could be a revenge game for former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney, who has yet to register a sack this season.
As for the Texans, they will aim to replicate the kind of offensive success they had against the Jaguars last Sunday. While Cooks was fantastic, Will Fuller had four catches for 58 yards and a touchdown, Darren Fells had a season-high 57 yards and a touchdown and running back David Johnson rushed for a season-high 96 yards last week. Tennessee's secondary is questionable, so Watson has an opportunity to attack downfield if he so chooses. Houston's defense will certainly have its hands full with Tennessee's offensive attack, but the Texans aren't afraid of engaging in a shootout.
Prediction
The Texans got back on the right track last week with their first win of the season, but this Titans team is on a roll. No one is questioning if they deserve to be undefeated after their 26-point beatdown of the 4-0 Bills last week, and they will only get more players back this Sunday -- such as star defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, who was activated from the COVID-19/reserve list on Thursday.
Score: Titans 35-21
