Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans: Live Houston Score and Analysis

Who are the real Houston Texans?

Are they the team that dominated a good Cleveland team on the road, or are they the team that got pushed around physically against Cincinnati just the next week?

For that matter, who are the real Tennessee Titans?

Are they the team that buried itself with a terrible record to start the season, or are they the one that's led by an improving offense? Are they capable of playing spoiler to opponents with better records who still believe they're in the playoff chase?

It's difficult to figure out each team from week to week; we can figure out, however, that neither team will make the postseason.

After a difficult debut against the Texans back in October, rookie sixth-round pick Zach Mettenberger has started to play better and definitely above his draft slot. Over his last two games, Mettenberger has averaged 304 passing yards, with four touchdowns, two interceptions and a 96.5 quarterback rating.

In what would have been a surprise if someone had predicted the situation just a couple weeks ago, the Titans will actually have an advantage at quarterback with the improved play of Mettenberger and Ryan Fitzpatrick taking back over for Houston with Ryan Mallett being put on IR.

So how can the Texans win a game despite a disadvantage at quarterback? It's simple really: Pound the ball on the ground and stop the run on defense.

On defense, the Titans rank 32nd in rushing yards allowed, 29th in rushing touchdowns allowed and 23rd in yards per attempt allowed; they can't stop anybody. In their last meeting, Arian Foster—who is expected to return and play today—rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns on over seven yards per carry.

On offense, the Titans rank 28th in rushing yards gained, 22nd in rushing touchdowns and 16th in yards per attempt. In their last meeting, the Titans' leading rusher had just 35 yards on the ground with the team finishing with a total of 36.

So the game plan is simple: Commit to the running game on offense and stop the run on defense. Of course, game plans always sound easier said than they are to execute.