Tag: Texans vs. Titans AFC

Titans add more fuel to fire with unfiorm selection for matchup with Texans

The Tennessee Titans are adding a bit more fuel to the fire when taking on the Houston Texans.

Oh look, it’s Tennessee finding a way to live in the past against the City of Houston again.

Maybe the Titans wish it was at least 2021 to see what winning looks like for the first time in years.

To no one’s surprise, the Titans will close out their season by wearing their Houston Oilers’ Luv Ya Blue jerseys against the Houston Texans on Sunday at Nissan Stadium. The last-place AFC South team wore those jerseys last season when the Texans visited Nashville before Christmas.

The hope is Houston (9-7) can pull out another victory while the once-Oilers franchise suffers once more, though most Texans fans probably wish to avoid overtime.

When then-Oilers owner Bud Adams moved the franchise from Houston to Memphis in 1997, he took all of the franchise’s history with him, including the logo, uniforms, and record books. The branding changed in 1999 from Oilers to Titans when the team officially called Nashville home, but Adams retained the rights to everything associated with the Oilers branding.

Since the Texans were founded in 2002, the city has tried to incorporate some bit of homage to the “H-Town Blue” in their uniform scheme, though Amy Adams-Strunk has a firm clasp on how the color can be used.

Most recently, Houston rebranded with a different shade off of “Columbia Blue” in the new “H-Town” uniform, capped off with a Blue H on the helmet.

While Texans players hate seeing a team don a uniform that doesn’t have anything to do with the state of Tennessee, Titans players understand how much the jersey means to Adams Strunk and a win over Houston.

“I think the real message behind it is (former Oilers players) didn’t feel like they had a home,” defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons told reporters on Wednesday. “Especially since the uniforms started in Houston and came here now with the Tennessee Titans. So it’s like, ‘Where do we have a home at?’ So with us wearing those uniforms, it means a lot and I know it means a lot to our former players who played in those uniforms.”

Simmons also knows the Texans would love nothing more than to send the Titans a loss while donning the Oiler logo.

“It’s our job not to get embarrassed in those uniforms,” Simmons said. “I’m sure that the Texans would love to embarrass us in that uniform, especially with what we did earlier this year to them.”

Texans vs. Titans injury report: Latest updates, news for Thursday

Here’s the injury report from Thursday as the Houston Texans prepare to take on the Tennessee Titans in the season finale.

Here are the full injury reports from Thursday’s practice for the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans ahead of their matchup at Nissan Stadium on Sunday.

Most notably, defensive back Kamari Lassiter returned to practice after missing Wednesday with a calf injury. The Texans are thin at cornerback, especially with both Jalen Pitre and Jimmie Ward out at the nickel position.

Kickoff from Nissan Stadium is scheduled for noon CT.

Houston Texans (9-7)

DID NOT PRACTICE

Texans vs. Titans: Announcers set for Week 18 game

The Houston Texans hit the road one final time during the regular season to take on the Tennessee Titans.

The Houston Texans (9-7) will battle the Tennessee Titans (3-13) in Week 18, where Houston is looking to snap its two-game losing streak in their season finale before heading into the playoffs.

Sunday’s regular-season finale from Nissan Stadium in Nashville will be televised on CBS at noon CT. The commentators for the game are Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst) and Jay Feely (sideline reporter).

The Texans are coming off an ugly 31-2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas Day. The offense never found life behind quarterback C.J. Stroud while the defense allowed over 250 rushing yards to Derrick Henry and MVP candidate Lamar Jackson.

Meanwhile, the Titans haven’t won since Week 12’s victory over Houston. While the Texans are in line for a double-digit win season, Tennessee’s in prime position to secure a top-three pick in the upcoming NFL Draft with a loss.

The Texans might not have much to play for in playoff seeding, but a 10-win season should be recognized. Over its two-decade run since its inaugural season in 2002, Houston has only finished with double-digit campaigns eight times.

With a victory on Sunday, the Texans would finish with back-to-back 10-win seasons for the only second time in franchise history and the first time since 2019.

Next week, the Texans will host the No. 5 seed in the wild-card round. With a win, it’s projected that Houston would then travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs.

History has usually placed Houston on Saturday during the early window.
This year, the early game will be on Amazon Prime.

Will the Texans rest starters in Week 18’s regular-season finale?

DeMeco Ryans makes it clear about starters playing on Sunday when the Houston Texans take the field against the Tennessee Titans.

Is C.J. Stroud playing in Week 18’s finale against the Tennessee Titans?

What about Nico Collins, who’s only 32 yards away from reaching 1,000 yards?

Will Joe Mixon be on the sidelines resting, knowing he’s seven yards from being the first Texans running back since Carlos Hyde?

The answer is the same for each: yes. Houston does not plan on resting players for the regular-season finale at Nissan Stadium, regardless of playoff implications in the wild-card round.

“I mentioned to all our guys that everybody has to be ready to go,” Ryans said. “Everybody will be out there playing and then we’ll see how the game goes.”

Sunday’s matchup won’t change much for Houston. They’ve already clinched the AFC South and can’t improve their playoff positioning. Following a  31-2 blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas, the Texans secured the No. 4 seed in the postseason and will host the top wild card seed come January 11 or 12.

But Ryans is about ending the season on a high note. With a win, Houston would secure its second double-dight victory campaign and back-to-back 10-win seasons since 2019.

After last week’s loss at home to the Ravens on Christmas, starters also need a chance to improve their persona.

“Our last outing on the field was not good enough. It was not representative of who we are,” Ryans said. “Defensively, offensively, just not a good representation of our team entirely. So we’ve got to go out and play better football.”

Just because starters take the field on Sunday afternoon doesn’t mean they’ll play four quarters. Houston’s an injury away from knocking itself out of the playoffs before the game even begins.

Ryans isn’t planning on running his players rampant before an elimination game, but morale must improve heading into the postseason. There must be a spark to bring back belief.

“For us right now, I think it’s a feel for where your team is at this point of the season,” Ryans said. “For me right now, our team needs to be playing better before we head into the postseason.”

Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT. The game will be locally televised on CBS.