Titans look to rebound after embarrassing shutout loss to Texans
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have a very low bar for showing improvement after being shut out by Houston the last time these teams met.
"We definitely got to score more points," interim coach Mike McCoy said. “That’s a given.”
The Titans also have a chance to hurt the two-time defending AFC South champs' playoff hopes Sunday. Beating the Titans again would give Houston the season sweep along with a fifth straight win in Nashville, and better yet help the Texans (4-5) reach .500 for the first time this season.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans just wants to win.
“That’s the most important thing," Ryans said. "Really don’t care about … It’s just can we win a football game?”
Tennessee is a loss away from cinching the franchise's fourth straight losing season. The Titans come off their bye as the NFL's lone one-win team with their odds at picking No. 1 overall for a second straight NFL draft.
There is a pride factor as well after the 26-0 loss in Houston on Sept. 28 — the franchise's first shutout as an offense since Oct. 13, 2019. Houston hadn't shut out an opponent since 2010.
“I mean it’s embarrassing to not be able to score points,” Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo said.
The Texans are coming off a 36-29 win over Jacksonville that was the second-largest comeback in franchise history. Backup quarterback Davis Mills filled in with C.J. Stroud in the concussion protocol to help Houston score the most points in a fourth quarter in franchise history.
Houston is busy trying to catch the Jaguars and Kansas City in the chase for the AFC's seventh and final playoff spot. The Texans will be without Stroud for a second straight game.
Ryans, a former linebacker, is happy he never played quarterback when asked about what opponents face with the Texans' 1-2 punch of defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. Ryans also is happy not to have to figure out how to defend such a tandem.
“Will and Danielle, they’re definitely a scary force on the edge and two of the best edge rushers in the league,” Ryans said. “We’re blessed to have both of those guys as rushers on our team.”
Hunter leads the team with 7½ sacks and Anderson is second with seven. Hunter is coming off one of the best games of his 10-year career where he had four tackles for loss and tied a career high with 3 1/2 sacks and forced a fumble to earn AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Tennessee is struggling to score so much that even its defense and special teams unit outscored the offense in a 27-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers before the bye. The Titans managed only two field goals on offense in that game and could not protect a 14-7 lead.
The Titans are dead last in the NFL managing a mere 14.4 points a game. Even with help from linebacker Cody Barton and rookie returner Chimere Dike, Tennessee has only 11 touchdowns. That's four fewer than the next closest teams with the Raiders and Saints (15 apiece).
How the Titans fare rests heavily on rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in April. His best ability has been his availability starting all nine games to start this season. He has thrown for 1,760 yards yet has more interceptions (six) than touchdown passes (five).
Ward took time during the bye to scout himself for where he needs to improve, and Ward said completing the easy plays can help him and the offense improve. His confidence also remains high with eight games remaining.
“We can turn the season around with one week,” Ward said.
The Texans have been impressed by the work of rookie fourth-round pick Woody Marks as he takes on a bigger role with Joe Mixon out all season with a foot injury.
Marks had 14 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown and added two receptions for 18 yards in the win over Jacksonville.
He has started just one game this season behind Nick Chubb. But Marks ranks second on the team with 304 yards rushing and has 183 yards receiving.
“He’s gotten better every single week, not just as a runner,” offensive coordinator Nick Caley said. “Obviously, you can catch the ball, but blitz pickup. He’ll put his face on guys and be physical. That’s a big part of what we ask those guys to do. So, it’s just a complete package and continuing to get better and learning from things as we go.”
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