Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans: Complete Week 13 Preview for Tennessee
The Tennessee Titans will face the Houston Texans this week for the second time this season. This time they'll be in hostile territory.
In their last matchup, the Texans dominated, outscoring the Titans 30-16 and giving Zach Mettenberger a very rough time in his first NFL start.
Now, Mettenberger has made some strides as a quarterback, so it'll be interesting to see how he'll do against the Texans this time with some more experience under his belt.
Here's a glimpse of what to expect in the upcoming contest between these division rivals.
Week 12 Recap
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Zach Mettenberger had made great strides in Week 11 but took a step back in Week 12 against the Eagles' dangerous pass rush.
Mettenberger was sacked five times and wasn't on his game, even from the very beginning. He found some rhythm with the offense in the second quarter, and the Titans even brought the game to within a score, but then the Eagles ran away with it.
In the second half, the Eagles outscored the Titans 16-7. The Titans' only touchdown in the half came with under six minutes remaining when the Eagles were already up by 23 points.
It was a one-sided match, and the Titans ended up with several injuries from the game as well. Not a good week for Tennessee.
News and Notes
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The Titans still have J.J. Watt to keep an eye on, and he's a handful, but it looks like they may not need to worry about rookie first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney. According to ESPN reporter Tania Ganguli, Clowney is still dealing with a lot of pain and swelling from his surgically repaired knee.
Clowney has been a big disappointment as a rookie, but one fewer pass-rusher is always helpful, especially since the Titans will be playing with a banged-up offensive line.
ESPN's Paul Kuharsky pointed out in a recent article that the Titans would need to go 2-3 in their remaining matchups to make it to the 4-12 mark, which was previously the worst that the team had ever done.
That means the Titans must beat three of the Texans, Giants, Jets, Jaguars and Colts to beat their worst-ever mark, making this, in all likelihood, the worst that the Titans have ever been.
That season, they ended up with the third overall pick, behind the Texans and the Saints, and they used that pick on Texas quarterback Vince Young.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Status |
| Michael Griffin | DB | Questionable |
| Taylor Lewan | OL | Doubtful |
| Dexter McCluster | RB | Questionable |
| Michael Oher | OL | Questionable |
| Brian Schwenke | OL | Injured Reserve |
Michael Griffin missed some time against Philadelphia after injuring his shoulder, but he returned and finished the game anyway. He's listed as questionable, but I'd expect him to play.
Dexter McCluster hasn't been a big part of the offense, really. It'd be a blow to running back depth for him to miss the game, but it won't be critical.
Brian Schwenke is out for the season with a torn MCL, and rookie Taylor Lewan is doubtful to play on Sunday with a high-ankle sprain, so they'll both likely be out of commission against the Texans. Right tackle Michael Oher has a case of turf toe and was in a boot on Wednesday, but it's not a new injury, so he'll likely start.
Even so, being down two starting offensive linemen will be devastating for the Titans against a tough defense. And the Texans certainly have that.
All information taken from ESPN's injury page for the Tennessee Titans.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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J.J. Watt vs. New Titans Offensive Line
With the Titans potentially down three starting offensive linemen against J.J. Watt, keeping him contained will be tougher than it already was.
The Titans will probably have to get creative with blocking schemes to keep Watt out of the backfield, or just double-team him every play. Hopefully that's not something they'll have to resort to.
Blidi Wreh-Wilson vs. DeAndre Hopkins
Blidi Wreh-Wilson has been inconsistent in his second year in the NFL. However, he had a bright spot in the Titans' last game against the Texans covering DeAndre Hopkins.
Wreh-Wilson covered Hopkins pretty effectively when the two were matched in man-coverage, though Hopkins still ended up having a pretty big night, Wreh-Wilson kept him mostly contained.
It'll be interesting to see what happens with these two in their second matchup.
X-Factor: Zach Mettenberger
The game always comes down to quarterback play, but this time, even more will rest on Zach Mettenberger's shoulders. The Titans will be dealing with a tough defense, and they'll be down offensive linemen as well.
Mettenberger will have to have a good handle on the pocket pressure and get rid of the ball quickly. Hopefully we'll see another step forward from the rookie quarterback instead of another step back.
Prediction
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The Texans had their way with the Titans in their last matchup. Now the Texans will be playing at home and the Titans are decimated by injuries.
Unfortunately for the Titans, I just can't see a way in which this game ends much differently than the last matchup. The Texans defense will swarm Zach Mettenberger, and since the Titans have been unable to establish a quick offense in the previous 11 games, it's hard to imagine that they'll suddenly have one now.
Then there's Arian Foster and the Titans' atrocious run defense. That probably won't end well.
The only chance the Titans have at being competitive is if Mettenberger plays at a much, much higher level than he did in their last game against Houston.
Prediction: Texans 30, Titans 14
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