Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans: Full Week 8 Preview for Tennessee

It seems like a long year ago that the Houston Texans were the worst team in the NFL. Houston is currently 3-4, but it has been a very competitive 3-4, losing its last three games by a touchdown or less.

The Tennessee Titans, on the other hand, are coming off three games where their opponents had a collective two wins in which they played two games at home, and they only went 1-2.

To put it simply, the Titans seem to be on their way to a very damaging slide. And so, hoping to make a change in the team, coach Ken Whisenhunt has made a change at quarterback and is going with the rookie Zach Mettenberger in Week 8.

So will the Titans finally have a spark on offense, or will a defense featuring possibly the best football player at any position in the league right now (J.J. Watt) swallow them up?

Here's a preview of the Week 8 matchup between these division rivals.

Week 7 Recap

Mark E. Tenally/Associated Press

It was a close game between Washington and Tennessee, but the Titans eventually were overtaken.

Tennessee's defense was having its way with Kirk Cousins, keeping his Washington offense out of the end zone for the first half.

It was after Washington made a change at quarterback, subbing in Colt McCoy, that it was able to get into the end zone.

The Titans took the lead back with less than eight minutes in the game, but they were unable to hold Washington completely, and the offense couldn't put any more points on the board after that.

Washington won on a field goal as time expired, and the Titans fell to 2-5.

Interestingly enough, a week after Washington's quarterback swap allowed them to come back against the Titans, the Titans borrow the strategy and tab Mettenberger as the new starter.

News and Notes

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Of course, the biggest news is Zach Mettenberger.

Mettenberger seems ready to claim the Titans as his team going forward, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com, but he's probably going to have a short leash.

Mettenberger has been brought in because Jake Locker's future with the team is already decided, and Charlie Whitehurst cannot effectively lead the offense. Still, if Mettenberger can't be effective in a few games, the chances are high that Locker will come back in.

As much as some fans may want the Titans to lose out for the draft, teams just don't tank in reality, so if the Titans keep losing, don't be surprised if Locker returns to the starting position.

Taylor Lewan was also in Titans news recently, coming to a plea deal rather than taking his assault case to trial, per Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com.

Lewan has been starting for the injured Michael Roos, and he has done a good job so far. He has a temper, so it's good that he'll be able to get this case behind him.

Injury Report

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

Player	Position	Status
Shonn Greene	RB	Questionable
Jake Locker	QB	Questionable
Taylor Thompson	TE	Questionable

Locker seems to be prepared to play, but he will be serving as a backup to Mettenberger.

Greene was inactive against Washington in Week 7, but he had a limited practice on Thursday. Bishop Sankey looked good the last couple of games, and Antonio Andrews had an excellent preseason, so I wouldn't be surprised if the staff gave him another week.

Thompson had a limited practice on Wednesday, and with Craig Stevens out for the season, getting Thompson back should be a priority once he's capable of playing.

All information taken from ESPN's injury report for the Tennessee Titans.

X-Factor and Matchups to Watch

J Patrick Schneider/Associated Press

Chance Warmack and Taylor Lewan vs. J.J. Watt

I wasn't exaggerating when I said that Watt might be the best player at any position in the NFL right now. Watt is a monster with five sacks, six defended passes, an interception and three touchdowns to his name this season.

He also dominated Warmack in their last matchup. Warmack ought to have a chip on his shoulder about Watt.

Of course, Lewan will probably see some matches against Watt as well, so he'll get a chance to prove his value against an elite pass-rusher very soon.

X-factor: I'd have to be crazy to say anyone other than Zach Mettenberger

The Titans defense has put forth an admirable effort in the last few games. Despite being on the field for long stretches of time with often very short breaks in between, they have done a good job of bending but not breaking.

If the Titans offense was just a little more effective, then the Cleveland and Washington games could both be wins. Each was decided by less than a field goal.

If Mettenberger can provide that spark, then we could see a whole new Titans team, one that can make use of weapons like Justin Hunter and Delanie Walker, not to mention stay on the field to keep the defense fresh.

Mettenberger will be the deciding factor for the Titans.

Prediction

Wade Payne/Associated Press

It's difficult to predict how the Titans offense will fare under Mettenberger. He looked good in the preseason, but preseason is rarely a good indicator of how any one player will fare in the NFL regular season.

Furthermore, even while impressing at times, Mettenberger made some bad decisions and didn't quite look like he was all the way there mentally.

Now of course, he may have made tons of progress since then, but the only ones who know are the members of the coaching staff.

Houston's offense isn't particularly worrisome, so if the Titans defense isn't asked to hold opponents completely from the end zone, then the Titans have a good chance of winning.

Arian Foster will be tough to stop, but the defense has been much better against the run in the last two games.

However, for that to work, the Titans offense has to be able to score on Houston's defense. The Titans will have their work cut out for them.

Prediction: Texans 21, Titans 17