Titans vs. Texans: Full Houston Week 8 Preview

To borrow a boxing term, this upcoming game between the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans will be a "title eliminator" of sorts in the AFC South division-race crown.

Saying that the Texans and Titans are still alive for a playoff spot—mathematically true—is kind of like celebrating one of the dozen or so "interim" or "regular" championship belts that the organizing bodies have flooded the sport of boxing with over the last 10-plus years.

Sure, they may technically be a "world champion" or playoff team, but winning the AFC South with possibly a 7-9 or even 6-10 record, would have the same cheap feeling to it as the person called "world champion" in the same division as Floyd Mayweather or Wladimir Klitschko.

Just because they share the same name or title doesn't necessarily mean their accomplishments are even close to being equal.

That's for us to worry about and discuss, though these two teams should only concern themselves with finding a way to win this game to stay alive in the playoff race and avoid a terrible division's cellar.

With Carolina favored to beat Indianapolis on Monday, according to Odds Shark, the Texans could actually move into a tie for first place in the AFC South if they defeat Tennessee.

Betting on the Texans as favorites in any game right now seems like a foolish proposition, but with the game at home and Marcus Mariota still banged-up, it does feel like a game they should win.

This season has gotten off to a terrible start, but most of us would probably take the scenario of being tied for the division lead heading into the bye week if offered that opportunity before the season began.

Would being tied for the division lead make the Texans actual contenders? No, their schedule after the bye will be really tough, but it would give them a chance no matter how minuscule it might be.

Sad fact here: The Texans are currently one game out of both the AFC South division lead and from having the NFL's worst record.

Calling one of these AFC South teams a division "champion" would be like picking out the "best" Nickelback song, but someone has to make the playoffs.

The Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers have even won playoff games recently after winning their division with a 7-9 record, so, keep hope alive?

Week 7 Results and Recap

Marc Serota/Associated Press

In a dubious feat that once seemed impossible, the Texans have trailed by 42 and 41 points, respectively, to two different teams over a span of just 21 days.

Even if we could look past those two games against Atlanta and Miami as anomalies, the Texans have still trailed at halftime in every other game this season with the exception of their Week 6 contest against Jacksonville.

Before running away with the game late, the Texans did also trail Jacksonville 14-10 heading into the fourth quarter.

The coaches aren't the guys missing tackles or dropping passes, but getting off to a "slow start" in every game of the season doesn't inspire much confidence in their ability to motivate the players or get the team ready to play each week.

Whenever a team gets humiliated as badly as the Texans did last week, it's hard to point to any one thing as the biggest problem or reason for the defeat, but the safeties' tackling this season has been horrendous.

Personality aside, D.J. Swearinger was released in part because he was a poor tackler who took bad angles and too often tried to bring the ball-carrier down with one arm or a shoulder bump, instead of wrapping him up using both arms.

His release was completely justifiable given his performance since being selected in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, but his replacements have without question been even worse.

More than just two players out of the 11 starters on defense were responsible for the Dolphins' parade of Madden 16-type touchdowns, but the play of Rahim Moore and Andre Hal was a big negative factor. Jayson Braddock of ESPN 97.5 Houston noted just how "bad" the Texans are:

"

How bad are the Texans? This was at the 35 yd line and turned out to be a TD. pic.twitter.com/hfUuYoOFIP

— Jayson Braddock (@JaysonBraddock) October 27, 2015"

The other four players in this picture on the field obviously did a poor job as well, but where was Hal going? Did he think Jarvis Landry would just run out of bounds on his own free will? Hal just stopped like the play was over for whatever reason.

Both safeties were guilty later in the game of junior-high-level play Lamar Miller's long touchdown run, which uStadium highlighted: 

"

Bye Bye. Lamar Miller with the 85 yard TD run! https://t.co/hjG7ibMksr

— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) October 25, 2015"

Where was Hal going? John Simon and Brandon Dunn were both playing outside leverage to try and turn the run inside, yet Hal ran to the outside of the tackle and stood there frozen until it was way too late and he had to attempt a weak arm tackle.

Maybe Miller would have still gotten the edge against Simon and Dunn, but Hal has to play his role and not try to do other player's jobs.

For Moore's part on this play, it looks like he's trying to not overrun his pursuit here, but he starts to square up and break down for a tackle with Miller still well to his left. Unless Moore believed Miller would suddenly swerve and run right into him, how did he believe he would ever bring him down on that play?

Both players were guilty of awful positioning and poor technique throughout the blowout loss to Miami, but this problem definitely hasn't been an isolated incident or unique to just this game.

All of that is not to say the loss to Miami should only be pinned on those two players, because any loss like that is a result of a total-team failure.

The offensive line was physically dominated in the running game, Brian Hoyer was inaccurate, the inside linebackers couldn't identify a screen play if they were handed the opponents playbook before the game, Kevin Johnson was picked on in coverage and the interior defensive line was pushed around most of the game.

To put it simply and directly: They didn't do anything right against Miami when it mattered.

News and Notes

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Texans Release Quarterback Ryan Mallett

Talented players will get plenty of chances, but the mistakes Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett made finally became too great for the organization to ignore. 

The problem, of course, was Mallett isn't even that talented compared to his peers, so the leash for him was fittingly shorter. Head coach Bill O'Brien and GM Rick Smith appeared to be on the same page when it came to being disappointed in Mallett's performance, but not taking immediate action since a backup QB was not available, per ESPN's Tania Ganguli: 

"

O'Brien was livid at Mallett's behavior Saturday, but ultimately realized it's not smart to play a football game w/o a backup QB. #Texans

— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) October 27, 2015 "

"

Rick Smith was always on board with cutting Ryan Mallett, just not at a time when it would have meant having no backup QB in a game. #Texans

— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) October 27, 2015"

After being absent for a practice during training camp, Mallett drove the final nail in his coffin by missing the team's flight to Miami last Saturday. Perhaps even worse then the mistake itself, was his lame attempt to blame traffic as the reason for him being late.

Really, Mallett?

That crazy Saturday traffic was the reason you failed to make it on time? It's odd that the other 52 players, plus the coaches, front-office staff and radio-broadcast team were all able to overcome the arduous journey to the airport, but somehow you couldn't.

Maybe your teammates and coaches all left early enough to make up for potential traffic concerns, if we're even going to buy that excuse. People close to Mallett, including his teammates, feel the blame lies squarely on him when it comes to the negative situations impacting his NFL career, according to the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson: 

"

Sources say even those close to him wonder aloud if Ryan Mallett will ever get it and realize he's squandering his potential

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 27, 2015 "

"

Texans teammates not surprised or displeased by Ryan Mallett being released, he had done a lot of damage to himself in locker room

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 27, 2015"

Some guys just don't get what it means to be a professional or to be accountable to people who rely on them.

Mallett has arm talent, and before the season started I thought he had potential, but not cutting him after at least the third immature violation of team policy would have undercut Bill O'Brien's authority and the atmosphere of accountability and team-first attitude he's tried to build.

Arian Foster Out For The Season

Maybe it was the frustration of another blowout loss boiling over, but if you follow me on Twitter you know I went on a bit of a rant after Arian Foster's injury.

Trying to figure out what the Texans had to gain by keeping Foster, or any other key veteran, in the game during the second half, after falling behind 41-0, has been an impossible puzzle to solve.

That's the key question with this whole thing involving Foster: What did the team have to gain by keeping him in the game?

It was a non-contact, soft-tissue injury, so maybe it would have happened at some point anyway, but it wouldn't have happened against Miami if he had been on the bench where he and the other key veterans should have been during the second half.

Still the question remains, what did the team have to gain by keeping Foster and the other veterans out there during a blowout?

The Texans had no chance to win the game, and guys like Foster and J.J. Watt definitely don't fall into a group of young players in need of reps, so what purpose was served by keeping them in the game?

Without the possibility of winning or the need for reps to improve, continually keeping Foster and the other vets on the field carried all the risk with no potential reward.

Protecting veteran players's long-term health in situations like the team faced against Miami is part of what it takes to win games, which of course is an NFL head coach's top priority.

By needlessly keeping Foster in the game past the point where his inclusion impacted whether or not the Texans won or lost, O'Brien jeopardized his team's future ability to win games.

Whether it was ignorance, forgetfulness or a misplaced attempt to heroically play it out until the end, the Texans' chance of winning each individual game on their remaining schedule was worsened by their head coach's poor decision-making.

According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, Coach O'Brien was asked about this decision:

"O'Brien was asked why Foster was in the game. He said the Texans were trying to score.

'We were trying to get a touchdown there,' he said."

The Texans were trailing 44-20 with just a few seconds over four minutes remaining; trying to get a touchdown there? The absurd tunnel vision displayed in that quote is beyond frustrating.

Oh, so, cutting the lead from 24 points to 17 or 18 makes you feel better? Are they playing for moral victories now, is that the point this franchise has reached under O'Brien's leadership?

They should absolutely play hard and try to score, but they needed to do so with their backups in the game.

The game was over, O'Brien admitted as much in his response to a question about Brian Hoyer during Monday's press conference, so why risk a key player's health for the next nine games in favor of the last four minutes of one game that was already a lost cause? ESPN's Tania Ganguli questioned O'Brien regarding his decision to keep Foster on the field, and he apparently did not regret it:

"

I asked O'Brien if he regrets having Arian Foster in the game that late. He said no. #Texans

— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) October 25, 2015"

Calling it coaching malpractice does not overstate the severity of his mistake.

Latest Injury News

Joel Auerbach/Associated Press

Carlos Thompson	Wrist	Injured Reserve
Jeff Adams	Knee	Injured Reserve
Tom Savage	Shoulder	Injured Reserve
Reshard Cliett	Knee	Injured Reserve
David Quessenberry	Illness	Injured Reserve
Arian Foster	Achilles	Injured Reserve
Lonnie Ballentine	Knee	Injured Reserve
Ryan Griffin	Knee	Injured Reserve DFR
Kareem Jackson	Ankle	Out
Brandon Brooks	Toe	Questionable
Cecil Shorts	Hamstring	Questionable
Benardrick McKinney	Concussion	Questionable

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com and the team's PR department via Twitter: 

"

.@HoustonTexans Wednesday Practice Report (10/28): pic.twitter.com/Ye8Y0AtiRo

— Texans PR (@TexansPR) October 28, 2015"

Key Matchups

James Kenney/Associated Press

Slowing Down Kendall Wright

The Titans don't have many dynamic playmakers, but one player capable of beating the Texans is Kendall Wright.

The former Baylor Bear caught 94 passes for 1,079 yards in 2013 and is currently averaging a career-best 13.4 yards per reception this season.

Wright's highest yards-per-game average against any team he's played more than once during his career also happens to be against Houston. In his last two games against Houston, Wright has a combined 14 receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns.

Those aren't eye-popping numbers by today's video-game-like standards, but he's definitely the receiving threat most capable of making a big play to ruin the Texans' day on Sunday.

Stopping Delanie Walker

The Texans' frequent inability to cover quality tight ends is well-known by their fans, which could be a problem this week against Delanie Walker who leads the Titans in receptions and is second on the team in receiving yards.

Walker wasn't featured much as a pass-catcher in San Francisco, but he has come on strong since joining Tennessee.

Over his first two full seasons since joining the Titans in 2013, Walker has caught at least 60 passes each season with a career-high 890 receiving yards last year. His 890 receiving yards last season ranked fourth among tight ends ahead of many big-name players like Jimmy Graham and Antonio Gates.

Blocking Jurrell Casey

The Titans' No. 99 has been a headache for opposing offenses since breaking out during the 2013 season with 10.5 sacks, which is a phenomenal season for an interior defensive lineman and a number which equaled J.J. Watt's sack total from that same year.

The Texans have shuffled around their starting combination at guard all season long with five different players receiving starts at either left or right guard.

Some of those players have done OK, but having to move tackles like Jeff Adams and Derek Newton inside has not worked. Second-year player Xavier Su'a-Filo also struggled in his only start of the season last week.

Hopefully Brandon Brooks will be able to return after missing last week with a toe injury, but whoever lines up at the other guard spot against Casey could be greatly overmatched.

Casey is a different type of pass-rusher than Ndamukong Suh, but Suh got his only two sacks of the season last week against Houston in a physically dominating performance.

He may not receive the hype of someone like Suh or Aaron Donald, but Casey is very capable of wrecking the Texans' game plan if they don't have a solid strategy to stop him.

Texans X-Factor of the Week

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Texans X-Factor of the Week: Nate Washington

The gap between DeAndre Hopkins and the Texans' second-most targeted receiver is gigantic.

Through seven games Hopkins has been targeted 101 times, while Cecil Shorts and Nate Washington have been targeted 45 and 44 times, respectively.

Some of that can be attributed to the injuries Shorts and Washington have suffered, but having the combined targets to your second- and third-most-used receivers still be 12 less than the total for your leading receiver is a problem.

Hopkins leads the league in targets and is one of only two players averaging over 100 receiving yards per game so far this season, but despite his great play, the team needs another reliable target to emerge and hopefully make the offense less predictable with where the ball is going play-to-play.

Washington has had two games with over 100 receiving yards, including last week against Miami, but the problem has been that those numbers have nearly all come during garbage time with the Texans already down big.

His numbers look great in a basic box score with no context, but he hasn't made a difference yet when the game has still been on the line.

The Texans trailed by a combined 68-9 at halftime for the two games in which Washington had more than 100 receiving yards.

Here are two splits on Washington's stats so far this year:

	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns
Leading or Tied	3	30	0
Trailing	19	307	2

	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns
First Half	10	129	0
Second Half	12	208	2

With Shorts listed as questionable for this week's game, Washington now more than ever needs to take some of the pressure off Hopkins with a big game of his own.

Prediction: Texans 24, Titans 20

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

On paper the Texans have more talent than the Titans, but as we've been made painfully aware of through seven games, talent on paper is meaningless.

When evaluating the Texans' chance of winning a few games more than most expected and having a surprisingly good year during the offseason and presason, those hopes were pinned largely on the unanswered questions that littered their roster.

Like most teams who aren't expected to be Super Bowl contenders, the Texans had too many unknown factors to trust them as a legit threat, and unfortunately for the team, most of those questions have been negatively answered so far.

If the quarterback could manage the game and protect the ball better than Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Texans might have a chance to be a surprise team.

If Foster could stay healthy enough to play around 12 games, they might have a chance to be a surprise team.

If the tight ends could just "return to the mean" so to speak after a horrible 2014 season, they might have a chance to be a surprise team.

If Su'a-Filo fulfilled his potential and stabilized the offensive line, they might have a chance to be a surprise team.

If a healthy Jadeveon Clowney when combined with J.J. Watt turned the Texans into a great pass-rushing team, they might have a chance to be a surprise team.

If the newly acquired and newly transitioning players from different positions at safety could play more consistently than D.J. Swearinger, they might have a chance to be a surprise team.

Which of those key questions has been answered favorably?

That's why the Texans are 2-5, but despite all that they should still be able to defeat Tennessee at home.

The Titans rank 30th in points scored, 28th in yards gained and 30th in turnovers on offense. They've also failed to stop the run on defense with ranks of 29th, 22nd and 26th in yards allowed, touchdowns allowed and yards per attempt allowed, respectively.

This probably won't be a showcase-worthy masterpiece, but I'll take the Texans to win a close, sloppy game against Tennessee.

Prediction: Texans 24, Titans 20

Follow me on Twitter for more news and opinion on the Texans: @sackedbybmac.