Official Texans @ Titans Game Thread, 12/15/2019

[Arky]

The 8-5 Houston Texans take to the road to take on the 8-5 Tennessee Titans this Sunday in an early game. The Texans are coming off a 38-24 home drubbing by the Denver Broncos. The Titans are coming off a 42-21 road win over the Oakland Raiders and are 6-1 in their last 7 games. Titan QB Ryan Tannehill leads the league with a 118.5 quarterback rating.

The Texans are going to need to find a defense and fast to try to stop the rolling Titan offense. The Titans have beaten their last 3 opponents (Jax, Oak and Indy) by an average of 19 pts. The bi-polar Texans cannot afford to turn the ball over if they stand a chance. In the meantime:

Titans 33, Texans 21

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TV = CBS (channel 11 local), noon CST, Sunday, 12/15/2019

Announcers = Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

The line = Titans by 2½ to 3

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Other Sunday viewing in the Houston area:

FOX (early) = Chicago @ Green Bay, Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis

FOX (late) = LA Rams @ Dallas, Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

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Prime time:

TNF = NY Jets @ Baltimore (FOX/NFLN)

SNF = Buffalo @ Pittsburgh (NBC)

MNF = Indianapolis @ New Orleans (ESPN)

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Not sure what the Texans record is when Jim Nantz calls a Texans game but IIRC, I don't think it is very good. Nantz, who has Houston roots, doesn't seem to bring the luck..... Not his fault, of course, as he is a good announcer....

The Texans are 8-5 straight up, 6-7 ATS (against the spread).

The Titans are 8-5 straight up, 8-5 ATS

My record picking Texans games = 8-5 straight up, 7-6 ATS

[Arky]

Sean Pendergast has probably found the one trend that a Texan fan can hang their hat on for this matchup:

4. Bounce back (again)
Deshaun Watson was actually asked the question in his Wednesday press conference about why the Texans have been so good coming off of losses, and have not handled the follow up to wins exceptionally well (with the past two Sundays being the glaring example of this trend), and he took some exception to it, saying that each game is its own entity and that there's really no carryover one way or the other. The pattern, though, is undeniable. The Texans have gone in a loss-win-win pattern all season long. Four times they've gone "loss-win-win" and last Sunday, the loss to Denver was the next logical entry on the ledger. So, the good news is that the Texans SHOULD win the next two games, if you believe in this trend. (Week 17 might be a bit harrowing, though.) The other bit of good news was delved into on Wednesday in this space, in which we outlined that Bill O'Brien's teams have been very good coming off of double digit margin losses (provided the playoffs are still mathematical possibility, which obviously they are) — 10-1 overall, and 8-2-1 ATS. The Texans need these bounce back trends to hold up in what will surely be a raucous and chilly Sunday afternoon in Nashville.

So, there's the lone glimmer of hope that the Texans may surprise.....

[Arky]

Gametime!

Texans to receive the opening kickoff.

Texans drive down the field and get to about the Titan 20 but Watson throws an INT to Vaccaro at the Titan 1 yard line. Titan's ball.

9:28 left in the 1st qtr.

[Arky]

Titans get out of the hole and drive down but stall out. Succop attempts a 45-yard FG but the Texans block it.

Texan's ball at the their own 23.

7:07 left in the 1st qtr.

[Arky]

My goodness. Titans were fixin' to score and the ball gets knocked loose from the receiver and Merci catches it in mid-air. He rumbles all the way down to the Titan 12 yard line. Huge change of field position.

Watson hits Stills in the in the end zone for a 12-yard TD!

Texans 7, Titans 0

9:59 left in the half.

[Arky]

Texans put a nice drive together with Hyde doing a lot of good running. Watson hits Stills again for a 16-yard TD to finish it. Well done.

Texans 14, Titan 0

3:14 left in the half.