Calen Bullock isn’t exactly ready to throw a parade over Houston’s Week 5 defensive showing.
After the Texans rolled past the Tennessee Titans 26-3, the second-year safety made it clear he viewed the performance through a pretty blunt lens. Houston did its job, Bullock said Wednesday, but he wasn’t about to treat it like some kind of breakthrough against that opponent.
"It was good. We did what we were supposed to do.
Like, no offense, it was Tennessee. So we were supposed to go out there and dominate," Bullock said Wednesday, according to ESPN 97.5 Houston's Will Kunkel.
The Texans certainly handled their business on the scoreboard and in the trenches. They limited Tennessee to 187 yards of offense and got to quarterback Cam Ward four times. The Titans managed only a field goal on their first drive, then went quiet the rest of the way, failing to score on their final eight possessions.
Ward finished 23 of 36 for 170 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. His 63.4 passer rating was his lowest of the season and the third-worst of his career, according to TruMedia.
The loss pushed Tennessee to 0-5, making it one of three winless teams in the league. The Titans are now 6-33 since the 2024 campaign - four fewer wins than the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders, who are tied for second worst in win percentage over that stretch.
For Houston, the win was its first of the year, but the bigger picture still has work attached. The Texans are 1-4 as they head to London for a meeting with the NFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars. Through four weeks, Houston’s defense ranked 25th in EPA/play, a steep drop after finishing seventh a season ago.
Bullock framed the next one as a much better measuring stick.
"I'll say this is the real test this week," Bullock said of the Week 6 matchup.
In Other News...
Cam Ward Is Already Facing A Brutal Titans Reality
Cam Wards first month as the Titans starter has been a rough follow-up to the hype that came with being the 2025 No. 1 overall pick. Through five weeks of the 2026 season, he has completed 63.2% of his passes for 896 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions, and Tennessees 0-5 start has only sharpened the scrutiny around a young quarterback expected to steady the franchise.
The pressure has become impossible to miss, especially after Sports Illustrateds Matt Verderame ranked Ward last among NFL starting quarterbacks. With the losses piling up and no early signs of a turnaround, the conversation in Tennessee is already drifting to what comes next if Ward cannot clean things up quickly, including whether Robert Saleh would eventually turn to Mitch Trubisky for a different look under center. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Face A Painful Veteran Decision As 0-5 Start Changes Everything
The Titans 0-5 start has already altered the conversation in Nashville, turning what once looked like a season with at least some playoff hope into an early look at where the roster goes from here. For general manager Mike Borgonzi, that means the next few weeks could be less about chasing wins now and more about deciding whether veteran pieces such as Tony Pollard, Jermaine Johnson and Calvin Ridley still fit the long view.
Those are not simple calls. Each player carries a different mix of production, contract considerations and market appeal, which is why the trade rumors have started to build even without any confirmed moves. Tennessee does not have to sell off anything immediately, but with the losses piling up, the front office is being pushed toward a harder kind of inventory check than anyone wanted this early in the year. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Face A Backfield Question That Could Shape Cam Wards Future
The Titans backfield is already one of the quiet pressure points around the roster, and it only gets sharper with the offense stuck near the bottom of the league in rushing. Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are both playing on expiring contracts, which leaves Tennessee staring at a future in which the current options might not be part of the long-term plan.
For a team still searching for traction at 0-5, the running back decision matters beyond the ground game alone, especially with Cam Wards development hanging over so much of what comes next. If the Titans move on from their current tandem, the market could eventually include names like Brian Robinson Jr., Zach Charbonnet, and Chase Brown, but the bigger question is whether Tennessee sees the position as a place to spend or a spot to build differently as it looks ahead to 2027. [Read more 🡒]