The Houston Texans took it on the chin 38-24 at home against the Denver Broncos in Week 14. However, the first place club in the AFC South didn’t let the loss fester as they responded with a gutty 24-21 win over the Tennessee Titans Sunday afternoon in Week 15 at Nissan Stadium.
Coach Bill O’Brien, who has led Houston to their fifth winning season in his six with the team, knows precisely why the Texans were able to put the loss behind them and beat the Titans in a two-game series for the division title.
“We have got a good locker room,” O’Brien told reporters. “These guys, they turned the page. They were focused this week. It was a good week of practice. We put a lot of time in and we knew it would going to be a very difficult game.”
What made playing the Titans difficult was twofold. Firstly, the Titans had won six of their last seven ballgames, responding to the insertion of Ryan Tannehill at starting quarterback. Secondly, Houston had not won at the Titans’ home venue since 2015 when it was last called LP Field.
“On the road, a tough place to play, a good football team, so I give our guys a lot of credit,” said O’Brien. “They overcame a lot of adversity and we were able to come in here and get a win.”
Quarterback Deshaun Watson threw two red zone interceptions. The Titans also battled back from a 14-0 halftime deficit to tie the game up with 13:35 to play. Rather than wilting or feeling that a blown fourth quarter lead was imminent, the Texans battled back.
“It was a very tough win, and they’ve got a good team, and we will see them again in two weeks,” O’Brien said.
While the Texans will face the Titans once more in Week 17 at NRG Stadium, a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16 at Raymond James Stadium will deliver Houston the AFC South title for the second straight year. Nonetheless, it would not have been possible if the Texans had not had a strong locker room all season long.