The 8-5 Houston Texans may not be in full-blown must-win territory yet, but it’s close. On Sunday, they will face the 8-5 Tennessee Titans in Nashville, a game with playoff implications galore.
If the Texans were to win, they would gain full control over the AFC South division. They would need a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16 or a Titans loss to the New Orleans Saints to the lock-up the division. If they lose, they would have to win out to win the division.
It’s fair to say that the Texans need to win on Sunday. Which experts have them doing so in a tight matchup with a long-time rival?
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco): Titans
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports does not believe in the Texans, specifically their defense. A week after being carved up by rookie quarterback Drew Lock, he sees a veteran one who is playing the best football of his career in Ryan Tannehill doing the same thing on Sunday.
“This is for first place in the division, which means it’s a huge game. The Titans have won six of seven games with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback. He is playing great football. The Texans were awful in their home loss to the Broncos last week and I think Tannehill will carve up that defense like Drew Lock did. The Titans will take over first place.”
Pick: Titans, 29-24
USA Today: Steven Ruiz: Texans, Charles Curtis: Titans
Those over at USA Today’s For The Win are split on who will win. Charles Curtis has the Titans winning (and covering a -2.5 spread) while Steven Ruiz has the Texans winning. Why? Deshaun Watson and a schedule that shows they can play up to opponents.
Curtis: Titans
“Every fiber of me wants to take the road dogs, but the Titans defense has played well as of late and Ryan Tannehill has a chance to shred this secondary. So I’ll go with the home team.”
Ruiz: Texans
“The Titans might be the hotter team but the Texans’ ceiling is higher, as we saw against the Chiefs and Patriots. I think Deshaun Watson has a big game and Houston wins this one on the road.”
NFL.com (Gregg Rosenthal): Titans
NFL.com‘s and Around The NFL’s Editor Gregg Rosenthal thinks the Texans are capable of beating the Titans. He also thinks they are capable of losing badly. He chose to side with Tennessee, the home team, based on Houston’s lack of consistency.
“The Texans’ defense is capable of playing like it did against New England a couple weeks ago. The Texans’ defense is capable of playing like it did against Denver last week. The Texans’ offense similarly yo-yos, often based on whether Will Fuller suits up. The Ryan Tannehill Titans have been far more consistent during his 6-1 streak at the helm. Even if Tannehill’s big plays are hitting at an unsustainable pace, Derrick Henry’s running is more powerful and Tennessee’s defense is more talented. The Titans probably need to sweep the Texans to win the AFC South because of their division record and a visit by the Saints in Week 16.”
Pick: Titans, 24-20
Pro Football Focus: Mostly Titans
Analytics firm Pro Football Focus doesn’t seem to be fans of the Texans this week. Seven of their eight analysts have the Titans winning at home. The lone analyst to choose the Texans is former NFL quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.
