Texans Need to Earn Credit However They Can Against Titans

Someone is walking out with their first win

The Houston Texans desperately need a win. They welcome the also winless Tennessee Titans in a game where Houston has little to gain, but plenty to lose.

Winning is the utmost goal. Style points would be a nice bonus.

The Texans have had their sky-high hopes for the season derailed. Houston made numerous changes to the offense in the offseason, only to see it perform worse than at almost any point over the past two seasons.

It’s been a struggle. Even the winless opponents, led by a rookie quarterback, have been able to score more than the Texans.

An offensive explosion against a bad Titans defense wouldn’t erase the ineptitude from the opening weeks of the season. It’s better than winning a low-scoring slugfest. It won’t calm all the concerns about offensive coordinator Nick Caley. It doesn’t restore the belief many had in C.J. Stroud after the 2023 season. It doesn’t mean the offensive line has started to figure it out.

But consider the alternative.

The Titans aren’t good. They have a coach likely to be fired, and could see his end as early as Monday morning. They don’t score a lot. They allow their opponents plenty of offense.

Lose to them, and where would the hope be? There wouldn’t be light at the end of the tunnel; the train would have arrived. It would have flattened a promising season before it really got going.

The Texans turned a winless start through three weeks into a playoff appearance under Bill O’Brien. Only one team has ever turned 0-4 into a playoff appearance. The Texans can’t be in a spot where they must replicate the history-making 1992 Chargers. Since 2020, five teams have started 1-3 and still made the playoffs.

Houston desperately needs to follow in the footsteps of those teams. They need to create some momentum after these early losses. The Titans present an excellent opportunity to start the long climb out of the NFL’s basement.

One Player to Watch

Jeffery Simmons is the player to watch in this one. He is the best player on the Tennessee Titans. Simmons is off to a red-hot start to his season. He has the second-best pass rush grade according to Pro Football Focus among players who have played a majority of their team’s defensive snaps. The edges have been where the Texans are leaky on the offensive line, but Simmons can tear up the interior with ease. If the Texans can’t handle Simmons, he possesses the ability to wreck their entire offense.

One Matchup to Watch

Dan Moore Jr. and Olisaemeka Udoh against Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter are the matchup to watch. The tackles for the Tennessee Titans are in a rough spot. Udoh is a backup who will fill in for the injured JC Latham. Moore was one of the wildest free agent contracts in recent memory. Neither is particularly stout. Cam Ward will need every bit of his escapability and pocket mobility to make this work.

One Stat to Watch

The Tennessee Titans have a worse offensive line than the Houston Texans. It is rare that the Texans can walk into a matchup with the clear-cut better offensive line. This is one of those days. The Titans have allowed the most sacks in football with 15. They have the second-worst quarterback pressure percentage in football. They allow pressure on 43.3% of their passing snaps, according to Next Gen Stats.

Score Prediction

The Houston Texans win 16-6. How can I predict they will score a lot of points? Even against this poorly-performing opponent, I am skeptical. I want to be wrong too. I hoped the offensive explosion was coming last week, and it was arguably the worst overall performance. Until they put together a consistent offense, I can’t believe their side of the scoreboard will light up. I don’t, however, believe the Titans will manage much against this defense.

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