The Houston Texans took a commanding lead in the AFC South with a 24-21 win over the Tennessee Titans. With a win in any one of their next two games, the Texans will take the division.
Despite coming out slow, the offense would produce 374 yards and just enough to edge the Titans. Between a roller coaster game from quarterback Deshaun Watson, runningback Carlos Hyde surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career, it was a performance certainly chock full of red marks and gold stars.
quarterback
Watson’s performance was more extensively covered here. On the whole, it was a performance marked by beautiful throws and boneheaded errors. Watson finished 19-of-27 for 243 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He had no problem connecting with his superstar cast of wide receivers, finding Deandre Hopkins for a couple of huge plays and Kenny Stills bringing in both touchdowns on the day.
Despite his regular theatrics, Watson was far from perfect in this contest. The two interceptions came at crippling times, killing two drives that certainly would have resulted in points. Additionally, his inability to take a sack late in the fourth quarter left ample time for the Titans to put themselves back in the game. These mistakes were not critical in this performance. However, to beat the class of the AFC in the playoffs he will have to play overall smarter games.
Grade: B+
running backs
The Texans rushed for 140 yards on Sunday, with the running backs frequently finding the open lane or creating open space for themselves. Carlos Hyde was the star of the show, passing the 1000-yard mark for the first time in his career with 26 carries for a 104-yards and a touchdown. He showed the burst and toughness that has made the trade with the Chiefs one of O’Brien’s best offseason moves.
Aside from Hyde’s huge game, Duke Johnson continued his up-and-down season. This week he was barely involved in the game plan, taking 2 carries for 2 yards and gathering 2 receptions for 19 yards. Despite the lack of numbers, his presence on the team and on the field continues to open up a bevy of opportunities for Houston.
This was one of the better rushing games from Houston this season and something that will have to continue if they wish to avoid being overly dependent on No. 4.
Grade: A
receivers
The receivers did everything necessary for Houston to win in Tennessee this week. Will Fuller returned after missing the previous two weeks and showed just how massive his presence is for the offense. Taking in 5 catches for 61 yards, including a huge 31 yard reception, Tennessee was largely at a loss for how to deal with Fuller’s speed. Even when not targeted, his presence on the field created mismatch opportunities for both Kenny Stills and Deandre Hopkins.
Speaking of those two, their performance was mechanical. Stills, although only bringing in 3 catches, was responsible for both of the teams passing touchdowns on the day. Hopkins played like a superstar, taking in 6 receptions for 119 yards and consistently making big plays when needed.
This group is full of studs and a nightmare to game plan for, exposing an over-matched Tennessee secondary. They’ll be pivotal in trying to carry this momentum into what should be a high-flying match against league passing leader Jameis Winston and Tampa Bay.
Grade: A
tight ends
offensive line
Despite any embarrassing “Tun-sil-itis” graphic put on by CBS, Deshaun Watson only took one sack on Sunday. The offensive line had great push to help Carlos Hyde and created more than enough breathing room for Houston’s franchise quarterback. Roderick Johnson had another outing where he made his case for starting at Right Tackle over Chris Clark and that could certainly effect how the unit shapes up moving forward.
The rest of the unit just did what they needed to do, a great sign compared to what Texan fans were dealing with a year ago. The constant hate and public chagrin regarding this unit is on the precipice of dissipating. They continue to improve, despite anything said by our friend, John McClain and his playful wordsmithing.
Grade: B+
overall: b+
This unit, despite a few crippling mistakes, was excellent against a red hot Tennessee Titans team. Look for another huge offensive outing next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
