The Houston Texans traveled to Nashville to take on the Titans on Sunday. At stake: sole possession atop of the AFC South with two games to play in the regular season.
From start to finish, the game did not disappoint.
The Texans got the ball first. Deshaun Watson engineered a great opening drive. Titans safety Kenny Vaccaro picked off a Watson pass at the one-yard line, ending the Texans’ threat. The Titans were unable to capitalize when Ryan Succop’s field goal attempt was blocked by Houston. After exchanging a trio of punts, the Titans’ drive ended on first and goal from the five-yard line as Ryan Tannehill’s pass to Anthony Firkser was bobbled and intercepted by Whitney Mercilus who returned it to the Titans’ 12-yard line. Two plays later, Watson found Kenny Stills for a 12-yard touchdown. Texans 7-0
🗣️ LET'S GO!
@KennyVaccaro4 | #HOUvsTEN pic.twitter.com/5f6RwvDIFR
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 15, 2019
84-YARD INT‼️@Merci380 | #HOUvsTEN pic.twitter.com/nqyVYwBl0D
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 15, 2019
Stills for SIX!@KSTiLLS | #HOUvsTEN pic.twitter.com/6dz3ftqWTf
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 15, 2019
After forcing the Titans to go three-and-out, Watson and the Texans put together a nine-play, 72-yard drive that ended with Watson once again finding Stills, this time from 16 yards out. Texans 14-0
Stills' second TD of the quarter!@KSTiLLS | #HOUvsTEN pic.twitter.com/3moMHBuAwi
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 15, 2019
That score would remain until halftime. The Titans got the ball to start the second half. Tannehill and the Titans put together a 15-play, 76-yard drive. The drive took nine minutes off the clock, but Tannehill ended up running it in from a yard out. Texans 14-7
WE'RE BACK, BABY! @ryantannehill1 | #HOUvsTEN pic.twitter.com/pTQ8PymZIa
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 15, 2019
The ensuing Texans drive saw the team move to the Titans’ four-yard line. Watson was picked off for the second time in the game by Titans linebacker Jayon Brown. This time, the Titans would cash in. Tannehill would find A.J. Brown from five yards out for a touchdown. Tied at 14
Play for and make the breaks and when one comes your way! #HOUvsTEN @GrindSimmons94 + @JayonBrown12 pic.twitter.com/McyMTivIug
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 15, 2019
GROWN MAN TOUCHDOWN! @Brown1arthur | #HOUvsTEN pic.twitter.com/vjyTNmTqEC
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 15, 2019
The Texans responded when Carlos Hyde ran it in from 10 yards out. Texans 21-14
In the end zone and over 1,000 rushing yards for the season!@elguapo | #HOUvsTEN pic.twitter.com/AdMJgQd3Af
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 15, 2019
After forcing a Tennessee punt, the Texans made the Titans use all of their timeouts and added three points to their lead after a 29-yard field goal. Texans 24-14
Tannehill, in the hurry-up offense, drove the Titans 75 yards in seven plays, only taking 1:22 off the clock. He found Dion Lewis from 11 yards out for a touchdown. Final: Texans 24-21
Dion Lewis finds the end zone. @DionLewisRB | #HOUvsTEN pic.twitter.com/STtsaVJM3E
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 15, 2019
Although the Titans’ defense forced a punt with only 17 seconds left, the offensive line gave up a sack of Tannehill, ending any shot at tying the game and forcing overtime.
Takeaways
Texans
- Watson stood tall with so much at stake
He didn’t play the perfect game, but he did enough to get his team the win.
- Hopkins impacts the game dramatically
While the Titans’ defense kept DeAndre Hopkins in check for most of the game, concentrating so much on him that they allowed for Fuller and Stills to have greater success.
Titans
- Henry’s hamstring is a concern
While he did have success on the ground, he lacked that burst when hitting the holes.
- Pressure’s on now
They were in the driver’s seat to win the division coming in. Now, they have to win their last two games and hope for help.
The rematch in two weeks has the makings of an epic regular season finale.
The Titans host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Texans travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers on Saturday.
