The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans will do battle at NRG Stadium in Week 8 in what is the first of two matchups between these teams during the 2022 campaign.
The Titans come in having won each of their last four games after a 19-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7. Tennessee also sits in first place and holds the head-to-head tie-breaker over Indy should it come to that.
Meanwhile, the Texans are going in the opposite direction. Houston has lost three of its last four games after a Week 1 tie with the Colts and currently sits in last place in the AFC South.
Here’s a look at five things to know about this game.
Titans are favored
According to Tipico Sportsbook, the Titans are 2.5-point road favorites over the Texans, with the over/under set at 40.5. Tennessee is 4-2 against the spread and has hit the over in just two of six contests. Houston is 3-2-1 against the spread and has hit the over three times.
Ryan Tannehill's status up in the air
Tannehill suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of the Week 7 win and was sporting a walking boot after the game. As a result, his status for this week is up in the air.
The good news is head coach Mike Vrabel said on Monday that Tannehill is progressing, so for now he’s trending in the right direction.
If Tannehill does indeed miss his first game as a member of the Titans since becoming the starter in 2019, rookie quarterback Malik Willis will take the reins for his first career NFL start.
While Willis starting would bring a level of unpredictability, he would be getting a soft landing spot against a bad Texans team.
Both offenses struggling
If you’re hoping for a barn-burner between these two teams, chances are you’re going to be disappointed.
Tennessee’s offensive struggles are well-documented. The Titans are putting up just 19.2 points per game, and of their 115 total points, only 20 have come in the second half, including just six in the fourth quarter, all of which came last week against the Colts.
Meanwhile, the Texans have been even worse, averaging just 17.7 points per game, the fifth-worst mark in the NFL.
Both teams have had some success running the football, but the Texans are ranked 25th in passing, while the Titans are 29th.
Head-to-head history
Both of these teams have seen their fair share of dominance since this rivalry started back in 2002.
Tennessee won 11 of its first 13 against Houston, but things began to even out in the years after and the Texans eventually began dominating the Titans from 2012 through 2016, winning eight of nine.
Things have turned back into the Titans’ favor since 2019, though, with Tennessee having won four of the last five meetings.
Overall, the Titans own the advantage with a 22-18 record against the Texans all-time. These two teams have never met in the playoffs.
Battle of top running backs
As you’d expect, Derrick Henry is among the league leaders in rushing yards, with his 536 ranked fourth in the NFL. Dameon Pierce, who is off to a great start to his career, isn’t far behind, with his 504 yards ranking sixth in the league, and fifth among backs.
While this is Pierce’s first meeting with Houston’s division rival, the Texans are very familiar with Henry, who has dominated them to the tune of 103.5 rushing yards per game and nine touchdowns over 10 career contests. Tennessee is 6-4 in those games.
Making matters worse for Houston, Henry is due for one of his blowup games, and he has been getting closer and closer to breaking one of his customary big touchdown runs the last few weeks, also.
As far as run defenses go, Pierce faces a much stiffer test, as Tennessee owns the No. 4 unit in the NFL. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Houston’s ranks dead-last, which only adds to the possibility of Henry going off.
