Win and they’re in.
That was the scenario at hand for the Tennessee Titans as they faced the division rival Houston Texans on Sunday in NRG Stadium.
The last time the Titans faced the Texans, they fell 24-21. This time around was different, as the Titans headed back to Nashville with a 35-14 victory.
Here are a few quick observations we made throughout the contest.
– The Titans won the toss and chose to defer.
– AJ McCarron started at quarterback for Houston, with Deshaun Watson at back up.
– Off the rushing efforts of Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson, and the receiving efforts of Steven Mitchell Jr., the Texans quickly made it into Titans territory and went for it on fourth down. The conversion attempt was successful, and the drive was capped off with a short rushing touchdown by Johnson. The Texans led, 7-0 with 7:25 remaining in the first quarter.
– Darius Jennings, recently added back to the team, was first to return a kickoff.
– Tannehill used his mobility early, recording a 19-yard rush to start the drive.
– AJ Brown has had no shortage of big plays on his rookie campaign, and he can add a 51-yard touchdown reception to the list. The game was tied at 7-7 as the Titans game up with a quick response.
– Rookie OLB Derick Roberson came up with his third sack in two games to bring an end to the Texans’ next drive.
– Marcus Mariota entered the game for a play.
– The Titans took the 14-7 lead after a touchdown reception by tight end MyCole Pruitt.
– Kamalei Correa recorded a sack on McCarron, bringing up third and long with less than three minutes left in the half.
– Rashard Davis had a nice first-down catch on the Titans’ final drive of the half, which didn’t produce points.
– The Titans kept the 14-7 lead at halftime, ending the Texans’ final drive with a sack on McCarron.
– Tennessee started the second half hot, quickly making their way into Houston territory. With 10:06 remaining in the third quarter, Henry took it in for the third Titans touchdown of the day.
– The Texans found an answer, ending off a successful drive with a McCarron rushing touchdown. The Texans cut the Titans’ lead to 21-14 with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter.
– Brown made what looked like nearly an impossible catch along the sideline, followed by a Henry touchdown rush less than a minute into the fourth quarter.
– The Titans continued to bring the pressure on McCarron. Logan Ryan recorded a sack on the signal-caller midway through the fourth quarter as the Titans drew closer to victory.
– The Titans put Mariota in the game yet again for a handoff to Henry that came up short by one yard, leaving the Titans punting with 5:42 to play.
– The Texans started driving down the field and threatened to score, but safety Kevin Byard snagged an interception off McCarron to put the momentum right back in the Titans’ favor.
– The Titans weren’t done yet. Henry recorded a 53-yard rushing touchdown to make it 35-14 with 2:54 remaining.