The triumphant Titans return home after a thrilling win against Miami to host the blood-rival Texans. Can they keep the good times going against a wounded Houston team? Seriously, the Texans’ injury report might be longer than a CVS receipt this week. The Texans are coming off a deflating and uninspired loss against the Jets last week and have lost two of the past three games. Tennessee has won two of the past three games and could’ve won three straight had they not blown it against Indianapolis. Houston will be out for vengeance as the Titans don the Oilers uniforms again to spite the Texans’ old franchise.
Music City Musings – Week 15: Houston Texans @ Tennessee Titans
Texans Offense vs. Titans Defense
Houston’s offense is carrying several critical injuries for this week as CJ Stroud is yet to emerge from concussion protocol, WR Tank Dell is out for the season, WR Nico Collins is not practicing due to a calf, and OT George Fant battling a hip. Veteran backup Davis Mills would get the start in place of Stroud if he doesn’t pass the protocol. Tennessee’s defense is surging after a rampant display against the high-powered Dolphins’ offense last week. The Titans also have a history of playing down to its opponent level so there is some hope for Houston.
OL vs. DL Matchups to Watch
The Texans are battling immense injury issues up front as right tackle George Fant is questionable to play as of this writing. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil is on the injury report but will play with a knee issue. Juice Scruggs is a rookie who’s struggling to get going this season with an overall grade of 49.4. Center Michael Deiter hasn’t fared much better with a score of 51.7. Right guard Shaq Mason is also on the injury report. Charlie Heck is in line to replace Fant on the right side. A fun factoid: the starting center is Michael Deiter and the backup center is named Dieter Eiselen.
The Titans’ defensive front is attempting to match injury for injury with Houston. Jeffery Simmons has been ruled out for the second consecutive week with a knee injury. Denico Autry is questionable with a knee problem and was limited or did not practice this week. Teair Tart was released on Friday afternoon. All this is to say that the Titans’ depth will be pushed to its limits going forward. They are down to two rookie backups (TK McClendon and Keondre Coburn) and free-agent pickups (Quinton Bohana and Jaleel Johnson) as projected starters. Needless to say, Harold Landry and Arden Key will have to provide the bulk of the star effort on Sunday. Rashad Weaver has to step up and play a big role as well. The battle up front will be decided by the whichever backups step it up.
Skill-on-Skill Matchups to Watch
Houston is depleted in the receiver room as well as Tank Dell was lost for the season and Nico Collins will not play after missing practice all week. Former Titans receiver Robert Woods, Noah Brown, and Xavier Hutchinson are the only healthy receivers left. The tight ends will have to do a lot alongside the run game consisting of Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce.
Tennessee is healthier in the back end with all starters healthy to play. It will be interesting to see how they deploy the secondary against a weakened Texans receiver room. SMB could draw the rookie Hutchinson while Roger McCreary gets Woods in the slot. Some combination of Eric Garror and Tre Avery will get Brown. Safety Amani Hooker has emerged as the leader of the defensive backfield since the Kevin Byard trade. Free Safety will be a rotating cast of characters between K’Von Wallace, Terrell Edmunds, and Elijah Molden in a dime role.
Titans Offense vs. Dolphins Defense
OL vs. DL Matchups to Watch
The Titans’ offensive line hasn’t been good for a while but left tackle isn’t a total disaster class with rookie Jaelyn Duncan taking over. Both guards have been top 35 contributors with Peter Skoronski and Daniel Brunskill posting grades in the 60s. Center Aaron Brewer has been inconsistently consistent, however. Right tackle Dillon Radunz is maddeningly inconsistent at times.
Houston is far healthier on the defensive front than their offensive colleagues. A giant part of their pass rush will be missing as standout rookie Will Anderson, Jr will miss this game due to injury. Jonathan Greenard has been good this season. The interior of the line has been above average with Sheldon Rankins and Maliek Collins doing the heavy lifting. Aging veterans like Derek Barnett and Jerry Hughes could draw the start in WAJ’s spot.
Skill-on Skill Matchups to Watch
The Texans’ secondary has been good this season with Derek Stingley, Jr breaking out as a sophomore after missing most of 2022 with an injury. Veterans Jimmie Ward and Steven Nelson have been solid as well. Former Titans cornerback Desmond King II is on the roster and draws the start due to injury.
Tennessee’s offense has been emerging with veteran DeAndre Hopkins being Will Levis’s favorite target and the most effective. Running back Tyjae Spears has slowly taken over Derrick Henry’s top role this season and will likely do it full-time next season. Treylon Burks is healthy enough to play but hasn’t lived up to his potential in 2023. It will be critical for OC Tim Kelly to scheme his weapons open against a better secondary.
Weather Report
The weather report for Nashville on Sunday is expected to be 51 degrees with a 24% chance of rain. Winds are projected to blow in a northwestern direction at ten miles per hour. The humidity is predicted to be at 75%, which is somewhat high for December. The temperature falls in line with historical averages so there’s no weather advantage on either side. Houston’s weather projections are similar as well.
Odds and Ends
Tennessee leads the all-time series by a margin of 23-19. During Mike Vrabel’s tenure, the Titans have won five of the eight matchups. In that timespan, Tennessee has outscored Houston with an average margin of victory of 26.3 to 22.5. New Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans has a 1-2 record against the AFC South thus far.
Uniforms
The Titans are 1-0 this season with the Oilers throwbacks, last worn against the hapless yet exciting Atlanta Falcons.
Data courtesy of Titans Uni Tracker
Titans
#Titans #BritchesReport vs @HoustonTexans pic.twitter.com/x6CbSeQrDy
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) December 13, 2023
Texans
Dripped out 🩸 pic.twitter.com/GBnE1OD3ta
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 14, 2023
Draft Pick Watch
The Texans currently hold the 24th overall selection via Cleveland due to the conditions of the Deshaun Watson trade. They do not possess their first-round selection as a result of the trade-up to get Will Anderson, Jr in the 2023 NFL Draft.
With its victory over Miami on Monday night, Tennessee dropped from eighth to ninth. The order did not change much due to the 5-8 teams ahead of them all winning. There are currently three teams that share the same record but the Titans are last of the quartet due to opponent strength of schedule.
Main Image: Denny Simmons / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK
