The Tennessee Titans have been in the habit of winning ugly games in 2022, and their Week 8 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday was no different.
Tennessee started quarterback Malik Willis with starter Ryan Tannehill ruled out, but the rookie was unable to get an already stagnant passing attack going, while also showing us why he’ll need a year to develop.
One thing’s for certain after this one: there will be no quarterback controversy in Nashville this year.
Thankfully, the Titans were able to lean on Derrick Henry and their defense. Henry ran all over the Texans and finished with his fourth-straight 200-yard, two-touchdown performance against Houston, and the defense completely stifled the Titans’ division rival from start to finish.
While the final score was only 17-10, this game never really felt close.
With the victory, the Titans are winners of five straight and maintain their lead in the AFC South. Now, let’s dive a bit deeper and see how the Titans notched their fifth win of 2022.
Final score: Titans 17, Texans 10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| TEN | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| HOU | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
It was over when...
Derrick Henry punched it in from one yard out to give the Titans a 14-3 lead in the third quarter. Granted, there was still a full quarter-plus left in the game, but there was no way the Texans were overcoming a two-score deficit with how well Tennessee’s defense played.
Instant analysis
-Malik Willis definitely showed why he’s going to need a year to develop. He was inaccurate with some passes and threw a pick, held on to the ball too long that led to a few sacks, and he just looked uncomfortable overall.
-It also didn’t help that his receivers can’t get open and his offensive line was shoddy in pass protection. Willis completed 6-of-10 passes for 55 yards, the pick, and he added 13 rushing yards while also being sacked three times. He ended up throwing just one pass in the second half with the Titans eating yards on the ground.
-Don’t take too much from this game from Willis because of all the reasons I just listed, but I can say for sure there will be no quarterback controversy.
-Thankfully, the Titans didn’t need much from Willis, as Derrick Henry and Dontrell Hilliard ran wild. The pair combined for 302 rushing yards, with Henry eclipsing 200 yards (219) and scoring at least two touchdowns for the fourth game in a row against the Texans. Hilliard had 83 and looked explosive, also.
-While Tennessee’s group upfront wasn’t great in pass protection and committed too many penalties (it had three false starts on one drive), it excelled at run-blocking, as you can see from the rushing totals.
-In all, the Titans ran for 314 yards, the most any team in the NFL has rushed for in a single game this season.
-Tennessee’s defense was absolutely dominant. Dameon Pierce was running into a wall all game long and the Texans had a laughably bad 161 total yards, a lot of which came in garbage time.
-The Titans sacked Davis Mills three times, but they were getting pressure on him for much of the afternoon, and the secondary played excellent coverage on the back end to provide support.
-Jeffery Simmons was playing hurt in this game but didn’t look like it. He was as dominant as ever and even managed to tackle Pierce with his own teammate. He also tallied a sack and was in the Texans’ backfield blowing up plays consistently. With the sack, Big Jeff now has 5.5 and leads the team.
-Kristian Fulton notched the Texans’ lone turnover of the game, although Kevin Byard should’ve had another. Fulton fought through a rub route and jumped a Mills pass for an impressive interception that came with the Texans in Titans territory.
-Houston was 2-14 on third downs and 1-2 in the red zone. The Titans won time of possession by nine minutes. Tennessee wasn’t much better on third downs, finishing 4-12.
Players of the Game
-CB Kristian Fulton: 3 tackles (1 for loss), 1 INT, 2 PD
-RB Derrick Henry: 32 carries, 219 yards, 2 TD; 1 catch, 9 yards
-DL Jeffery Simmons: 2 tackles (2 for loss), 1 sack, 1 QB hit
Injuries
-Amani Hooker (shoulder): Hooker left for a brief time, came back, but was later pulled in the third quarter.
What's next?
With the win, the Titans (5-2) have now won five in a row and maintain their lead in the AFC South. Looking ahead, Tennessee will travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs in Week 9 in what will be one of their toughest games of 2022.
Believe it or not, the Titans currently sit in the No. 2 seed in the AFC, but the Chiefs own the same record, which means the upcoming contest will determine who holds the No. 2 spot.
