The first win of the season is sitting there for either team, and Sunday’s matchup in Nissan Stadium comes down to one blunt truth: whoever controls the trenches probably walks out 1-4.
Tennessee and Houston both enter at 0-4, but the Titans’ route to an upset is pretty clear. They have to hold up on both lines, and that starts with making the Texans uncomfortable before the game even settles into rhythm.
The weather may help a little too. The heaviest rain is expected before 7 a.m., with the odds easing around 1 p.m.
Central, about an hour into kickoff. Winds are projected at 10 to 15 mph.
Houston’s ground game has been getting swallowed almost immediately. The Texans are averaging 2.85 yards per carry, and just 35 of their 214 rushing yards have come before contact.
That’s not a recipe for balance, and it puts even more on C.J. Stroud if Tennessee can keep the run game bottled up.
The good news for the Titans is that their run defense is tied for ninth in PFF’s grades, and Jeffery Simmons was a full participant Friday.
That same battle extends to the other side of the ball, where Tennessee needs to give Cam Ward something workable. The Titans are sitting first in PFF pass-blocking grade, but that comes with a problem: they’re 31st in run blocking. Against a Texans defense ranked fourth in pass rush, that’s not the kind of split that lets an offense breathe.
Will Anderson Jr. has been a wrecking ball through four games, piling up 25 pressures and seven sacks. He mostly lines up opposite right tackle JC Latham, who has allowed four pressures but no sacks. Anderson practiced fully Friday despite an ankle injury, and Latham is going to need help if that pass rush starts winning early.
The Texans can also create stress through the middle of the pocket. Guards Keylan Rutledge and Ed Ingram have combined to allow 24 pressures, while Ingram, Aireontae Ersery and Blake Fisher are all questionable. Stroud hasn’t thrown an interception, but PFF has him pressured on 62 of 170 dropbacks and sacked 12 times.
That gives Tennessee a real opening if it can get after Stroud without exposing itself too much on the back end. Nico Collins has three touchdowns in two games, and Jaylin Noel is averaging 23.3 yards per catch. With Amani Hooker out, the Titans can’t afford to get greedy with pressure.
There’s also uncertainty at receiver for Tennessee. Carnell Tate is questionable with a back injury after leading Titans wideouts with 32 targets. He has already become the team’s most-targeted receiver, and the source material notes his place among rookies in targets, catches, first downs and yards per route run.
For Tennessee, the formula doesn’t get much simpler than this: slow the Texans’ backs, make Stroud work under pressure, keep Ward upright, and squeeze enough production out of the run game to avoid obvious passing downs. If the Titans can win those battles up front, they’ve got a real shot at their first victory.
In Other News...
Titans Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious Over This Derrick Henry Fine
John Franklin-Myers is paying for a Week 4 moment against the Ravens that never drew a flag on the field, with the NFL fining the Titans defensive lineman $12,537 for striking, kicking or kneeing after he drove a knee into Derrick Henrys midsection once the play was over. For Tennessee fans, the annoyance is easy to understand: Henry took the hit, the officials let it go, and then the league came back days later with a bill.
The larger frustration is the inconsistency that always seems to follow these disciplinary decisions. Around the league, fines for different infractions can land in oddly different places, and this one only adds to the sense that what gets punished in the moment and what gets punished later are not always the same thing. For the Titans, it is another reminder that even when the contact is obvious enough to draw scrutiny after the fact, the final judgment can feel disconnected from what happened in real time. [Read more 🡒]
Titans' Miserable Day Somehow Got Even More Embarrassing In Nashville
The Texans-Titans matchup in Nashville already had the look of a rough afternoon between two winless teams, and the scene behind the end zone only added to the awkwardness. Near the goal post, two players collided with a staffer and knocked him down, turning an already grim game environment into one more moment the home crowd probably could have done without.
Robert Griffin III noticed the mishap on social media and turned it into a quick joke, focusing on the staffers pants falling too low as he got back on his feet. For Tennessee, it was another reminder that some days bring more than just a bad score line, they bring the kind of accidental blooper that lingers long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Game Suddenly Carries A Trade Twist Fans Will Be Watching
An otherwise ordinary NFL rumor mill has put a little extra intrigue around the Titans recent stretch, with the Cardinals reportedly agreeing to terms on a trade with an unidentified team. The deal itself is still murky, but the fact that it has surfaced at all gives Tennessee fans another reason to keep an eye on the wider AFC picture, where roster moves can quickly ripple into divisional storylines.
Houston has been floated as a possible match, though nothing has been confirmed by reliable sources, and the reported timing has only added to the suspense. There is even speculation that the move could depend on the Texans result in an upcoming game, which would make the next step especially worth watching for Titans followers waiting to see how the landscape shifts around them. [Read more 🡒]