The Tennessee Titans’ playoff hopes go through Houston. If the 8-7 Titans can beat the 10-5 Texans, they will move onto the postseason as the sixth-seed in the AFC. If not, they will need help to get in.
Texans safety Tashaun Gipson isn’t trying to play Santa Claus for the Titans. He wants to be the villain, the Grinch.
“If you can crush somebody’s dreams in the process, play Grinch if you will, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Gipson said on Thursday. “Everybody likes a Grinch a little bit.”
As repeated throughout the week, the Texans may enter the 3:25 pm CT kickoff with nothing to play for. If the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston will lock into the fourth-seed in the AFC postseason.
No matter if Sunday’s bout with the Titans is meaningless or not, Gipson just wants to play spoiler to Tennessee’s playoff hopes. What better way to cap off a season by not letting a divisional rival get into the playoffs?
“Since I’ve been here, I understand the importance of beating the Titans,” Gipson said. “It’s going to be a fun game. If we can keep an AFC South foe out of the playoffs, why wouldn’t we want to do that?”
Though an impactful safety throughout his career, Gipson is not used to finding himself in the postseason. He never did so with the Cleveland Browns and did so once with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 — the only time in the last five years the Texans have not won the AFC South.
“I understand that they’re fighting for their playoff lives,” Gipson said. “It’s a beautiful thing to be on this side of the spectrum. 11-5 sounds a lot better than 10-6.”
Gipson signed a three-year, $22.5 million contract with the Texans in the offseason. He has started all 13 games he’s played in 2019, allowing a 47.4 passer rating in coverage while doing so, per Pro Football Reference.
