Week 6 is here, and for the Tennessee Titans, it’s a scheduled matchup with the always entertaining Houston Texans.
I think we know what the Titans can do on Sunday afternoon if they walk out of Nissan Stadium with a win. If you win, you start out the season 5-0 for the first time since 2008, and prepare yourself for a fight with the Pittsburgh Steelers in a battle of potential unbeatens next weekend.
That’s all there is to it.
Let’s preview it all shall we?
Major Storylines Heading Into The Game
The Titans Should Be Closer to Full Strength
Because of their COVID-19 outbreak, the Titans were missing a handful of starters when they took on the Buffalo Bills this past Tuesday night. Adam Humphries, Corey Davis, Jeffery Simmons, Khari Blasingame, and Kristian Fulton headlined the list of starters who missed Tuesday night’s game due to COVID-19 complications.
Now though, it seems the team is set to get most those starters back in time for Sunday’s game against Houston.
Humphries, Simmons, Fulton, and Blasingame will all be ready to go tomorrow afternoon, with Corey Davis being the lone starter who’ll have to sit this contest out.
#Titans announce they’ve activated FB Khari Blasingame from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
The only players on the active roster that remain on the list are Corey Davis and MyCole Pruitt.
— TreJean Watkins (@TreWatkins099) October 16, 2020
That puts the Titans in a good spot health wise, which is good considering the difficult challenge they’ll have tomorrow, and next weekend.
The Texans Ride Into Their 2nd Contest Under Interim HC Romeo Crennel
For the first time in a while, the Texans haven’t caused a stir around the league because of their consistent play on the field. Long time head coach Bill O’Brien was fired last week after nearly 6 years in Houston that were full of turmoil and questions, masked by division titles and off & on playoff success.
It was a move many expected to happen sooner rather than later, especially after the Texans started off the season at 0-4, miles behind any sort of wild card spot.
Bill O’ Brien being fired wasn’t a case of if he was going to be fired, rather WHEN he was going to get the pink slip. #Titans will play Texans in just under 2 weeks at home.
— TreJean Watkins (@TreWatkins099) October 5, 2020
The whole situation is a shame really, considering how consistent O’Brien had been as a head coach record wise, but his disgusting short track record as a GM really stained any sort of “legacy” that he had developed in Houston. Deshaun Watson will play under the 3rd head coach of his young career next season, and this just after he signed an expensive extension to stay with Houston long term.
Before Watson can meet his 3rd head coach however, he’ll first have to ride with an experienced Romeo Crennel until the end of the 2020 season.
Crennel undoubtedly won’t be the Texans’ permanent head coach going into next season, but his voice is well respected by the players in that Texans locker room, and they’ll make sure to play hard for the experienced interim head coach.
I know a lot of guys talk about how players can and will fight hard for their interim head coaches, and this is no different. If the Titans head into Sunday’s game expecting a pushover of a Texans team, they’ll be in for a rude awakening.
Matchups to Watch
Deshaun Watson vs. Titans’ Pass Defense
It’s been a rollercoaster of a year for Deshaun Watson.
He’s still trying to adjust to life after DeAndre Hopkins, he can’t get consistent support from the run game, and his offensive line has him running for his life each and every Sunday.
Again, a rollercoaster.
Luckily for him, he might have an easier matchup to work with against this Titans pass defense, who’re still working through some flaws even after their bounceback performance against the Buffalo Bills.
I’m not saying Watson is going to have a day against the Titans’ defense, but if they can’t address their issues getting off the field on 3rd down, then this game will be much more competitive than it should be.
#Titans still struggling to get off the field on third down.
— TreJean Watkins (@TreWatkins099) October 13, 2020
Derrick Henry vs. Texans’ Run Defense
We’re 5 weeks into the 2020 NFL season, and shocker, Derrick Henry isn’t ripping off the same mind boggling runs we’ve come to expect from him.
It’s become sort of a norm at this point. Derrick Henry has never been much of a fast starter in terms of early season performance, and the numbers back it up.
Now it’s not all Henry’s fault, in fact, a lot of the blame can be placed on other factors that lie within the entire offense. Inconsistent QB play over the years, too many blocking assignments missed by the Titans’ OL, and even some playcalling issues related to the run game have limited Henry’s chances to achieve early season success.
You can’t leave out the fact that defenses always leave at least 7 bodies in the box whenever they face off against the Titans either. The Titans usually roll out a lot of 11, 12, and 13 personnel, which means defenses have to match up numbers wise in the run game or they’ll get steamrolled all game long. That’s why we’ve seen Ryan Tannehill obliterate defenses all year with play action, since defenses commit so many guys to run stopping duties.
But Tannehill might not have to dice up an opposing defense with play action this week since the Texans have been….below average at stopping the run.
The Texans as of right now rank as the 2nd worst rushing defense in football, giving up an average of just over 160 yards per game. It doesn’t get much better with their yards per carry numbers either, with the Texans giving up an average of 4.7 YPC to opposing running backs.
This is about as juicy of an opportunity for Henry to put in a dominant early season rushing performance, and a chance for Tannehill to sit back and watch Henry do the bulk of the offensive work.
X-Factors
Houston Texans: JJ Watt
JJ Watt has been a thorn in the Titans’ side for the majority of Watt’s career, but things are a little different now.
Watt has had some injuries, and his overall effectiveness isn’t at the level it used to be at. But he’s still the Texans’ best chance at causing havoc for the Titans’ high scoring offense, both as a run defender and as a pass rusher.
We’ll see if he can capitalize on his opportunities tomorrow.
Tennessee Titans: Jeffery Simmons
Against Buffalo, it was clear that the presence of Jeffery Simmons was greatly missed. The Titans’ edge rushers did their job for the most part, but it was the interior pass rush that was lacking in terms of impact.
Deshaun Watson, like a lot of other quarterbacks, don’t handle interior pressure all that often, so Simmons creating some trouble up the middle will represent as a good step towards shutting down Watson and whatever success the Texans’ offense wants to have.
Prediction
Just because the Titans still have some trouble on defense, I think this game will be a bit more closer than it should be.
However, I still think the Titans will pull this one out, and set themselves up for a massive AFC clash next Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Titans: 34
Texans: 24
