Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 24th 2022
Jimmy Liu
The Houston Texans travel to Nashville in week 16 to take on the Tennessee Titans in an AFC South division clash. Houston is the worst team in the NFL this season with a 1-12-1 record and they’re coming off a 30-24 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, their performance exceeded expectations as they took the game to overtime and covered the spread as 14-point underdogs.
The Titans have kept their lead in the division after four straight losses. They're now 7-7 on the season and lead the surging Jacksonville Jaguars by one game in the standings. They also have the best record against division opponents at 4-1. Tennessee lost last week to the Los Angeles Chargers 17-14, with Ryan Tannehill throwing for 165 yards and no touchdowns. The Titans are ranked 29th in the league in passing yards per game, with 174.4.
Texans vs. Titans Odds
TV: CBS
MONEY LINE: Texans (+180) vs. Titans (-215)
SPREAD: Texans +3 (-110) vs. Titans -3 (-110)
GAME TOTAL: Over 36.5 (-110) vs. Under 36.5 (-110)
Texans vs. Titans Preview, Stats and Trends
The Texans have now lost nine straight games, but lost the last two by a combined seven points. They have also recently performed well against the spread, going 2-2. The Texans offense has averaged 26.2 points per game in the previous five games against Tennessee. However, they lost in their first meeting of the season against the Titans 17-10 at home.
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Tennessee must stop the bleeding this Sunday and avoid their third straight loss at home. Another defeat could put them into a tie with the Jaguars after week 16, with games against Dallas and Jacksonville remaining. The Titans offense has averaged just 19.6 points in their last five games at Nissan Stadium.
Texans vs. Titans Predictions
The key for the Texans in this game is to slow down the Tennessee running attack. Derrick Henry ran for 219 yards and two touchdowns in their first meeting. If they can limit his impact on the game, they could find themselves with a chance to win as it reaches the fourth quarter. Houston has played well these last two weeks against playoff-bound opponents and covered the spread last week against the Chiefs.
For Tennessee, times are desperate as they try to avoid a fifth straight loss against the team with the league's worst record. Winning the division may be the only way this team will make the playoffs, so it's crucial that they hold off Jacksonville in the standings. The Titans should cover the spread against Houston and will win by a touchdown.
Final Score: 21-14 (Titans)
EXTRA POINTS
1. The total has gone under for Houston in four of their last six games.
2. The Texans have covered the spread in two of their last three games against Tennessee.
3. The Titans have averaged 180.3 rushing yards against Houston in their last three match-ups.
Best Bet: Tennessee Titans -3 (-110)
Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans Recap NOV 21TH 2021
Tyrod Taylor rushed for two touchdowns and Desmond King II recorded a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions Sunday as the Houston Texans snapped an eight-game losing skid with a shocking 22-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tenn.
King returned his second interception of Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill 25 yards to the Tennessee 15-yard line and Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn followed with a 37-yard field goal at the 3:30 mark to make it a two-possession game.
It was Fairbairn's 57th consecutive conversion from 40 yards and in, securing Houston's second victory of the season.
Texans cornerback Terrance Mitchell then picked off Tannehill on the ensuing Titans possession, marking the fifth Titans turnover and the first four-interception game for Tannehill.
The Titans (8-3) had their six-game winning streak snapped under an avalanche of miscues.
After Fairbairn capped a 14-play, 62-yard drive with a 43-yard field goal on the Texans' opening possession, Tannehill marched the Titans into the red zone before being intercepted on the last play of the first quarter. Houston linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill returned that pick 82 yards to the Tennessee 6 before Titans running back Dontrell Hillard's touchdown-saving tackle.
The Texans (2-8) settled for a 24-yard Fairbairn field goal that pushed their lead to 6-0.
Houston extended that advantage to 12-0 when Taylor, who passes for 107 yards, scrambled for a 7-yard touchdown with 7:43 left in the first half. It was the Texans' first touchdown on the road since the fourth quarter of their 31-21 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, a span of 268 offensive snaps.
The Titans kept stumbling along, with Tannehill flagged for intentional grounding with four seconds left in the first half, an infraction that prevented Tennessee from attempting a field goal.
Then, midway through the third quarter, the Texans opted to punt instead of attempting a 53-yard field goal - but the ball deflected off the foot of Titans return man Chester Rogers and Tremon Smith recovered at the Tennessee 5. Taylor scored on third down, marking his first career game with two rushing touchdowns and extending the lead to 19-0.
The Titans mounted a comeback with Tannehill finding Dez Fitzpatrick for an 18-yard touchdown, and Titans tight end Anthony Firkser recovered a Hillard fumble in the end zone for a touchdown that cut the deficit to six points midway through the fourth quarter.
Still, the two late turnovers doomed the Titans.
Tennessee outgained the Texans 420-190. Tannehill passed for 323 yards.
--Field Level Media
- NFL
