Titans vs. Texans: What's the Game Plan for Tennessee?

It will be another week where the Tennessee Titans will have to try to scratch out a win without their franchise quarterback.

Marcus Mariota has officially been ruled out against the Houston Texans, per NFL on ESPN:

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Marcus Mariota will miss his 2nd consecutive game with a knee injury. Zach Mettenberger will start at QB for Titans. pic.twitter.com/dADWfvLxMc

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 30, 2015 "

That will put the pressure back on Zach Mettenberger, who is still looking for his first career win as a starter. He's currently 0-7, with two of those losses coming at the hands of the Texans. 

The Texans are dealing with their own set of issues, and the loser of this game at NRG Stadium in Texas will almost certainly plunge into full-on disaster mode. 

Here is how the Titans should game-plan for the Texans as they look to get just their second win within the division since 2013.

Offensive Game Plan

Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images

The Titans need to get back to the basics, and they can do that by staying committed to their running. It will start with getting Antonio Andrews heavily involved in the offense to take some pressure off of Mettenberger.

Greg Cosell of NFL Films told 104.5 The Zone in Nashville that Andrews needs his fair share of carries to be effective:

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“Antonio Andrews is the type of back that needs more carries to get going. He’s a grinder.”- @GregCosell

— The Midday 180 (@Midday180) October 28, 2015"

Andrews has earned the opportunity to try to carry this offense on his back and make things easier for the passing game. Teams don't seem to be respecting the Titans' run game, and it's making things much more difficult for a receiving corps that still has a lot to prove.

We saw Andrews have some success against the Falcons, but he didn't get nearly the amount of opportunities to take control of the game. He had just 10 rushing attempts. 

Player	Attempts	Rush Yards
Bishop Sankey	39	159
Antonio Andrews	38	138
Dexter McCluster	35	176
Terrance West	16	51

The running back committee that the Titans are employing needs to be narrowed down a bit so that players have a chance to get into a rhythm. 

Dexter McCluster has done well over the last few games at being that complementary back who comes in on certain packages. 

If the Titans can wear the Texans down by controlling the line of scrimmage, it should open things up for Mettenberger to find open receivers. Simplifying the offense is key for Mettenberger to gain some confidence.

The Texans are 28th in the NFL at defending the run, allowing just under 130 yards per game. You better believe Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt will try to take advantage of those struggles.

Defensive Game Plan

Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images

It was an outstanding defensive effort against the Falcons that put the Titans in great position to pull off the improbable upset. They held the Falcons to just 10 points, which should've been enough to get them out of the loss column.

Another defensive performance like that against a much shakier offense should lead to a relatively comfortable win.

The Titans need to stick with what's working, and what's working is remaining aggressive at getting to the quarterback. They don't let opposing quarterbacks get comfortable in the pocket, and that props up their young secondary.

Even when they miss out on the sack, they seem to always be hurrying the quarterback in the pocket. Derrick Morgan and Jurrell Casey have led this charge with eight sacks combined.

They will face Brian Hoyer at quarterback, who is not having too bad of a season statistically. He's thrown 11 touchdowns to just three interceptions, good for a passer rating of 95.7. These solid numbers haven't resulted in wins, and they looked awful last week in the Texans' blowout loss to the Dolphins.

The key will be to get consistent pressure on Hoyer and force him into decisions that he's not ready to make. Hoyer is capable of making great throws when given plenty of time to do so. 

Keeping the Texans from getting the home run play to the likes of DeAndre Hopkins will be vital. You may remember the Titans have fallen victim to big plays in their losses to the Browns, Colts and Bills. Some of that was remedied against the Falcons, even in the loss.

Prediction

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

This game could end up being a matter of who plays worse. It's probably not going to be pretty, but someone has to win.

Mettenberger was so close to breaking through for his first career win as a starter last week, and he'll come into this game much more prepared. He also has some experience going up against the Texans defense.

Now that Mettenberger has been confirmed as the starter, it's hard to see the Titans being able to manage as many points as they would with Mariota under center. However, the running game will be the calling card for the Titans. Andrews and company will string together a couple of long scoring drives to help take control of the time of possession.

Turnovers from both teams will keep this game close going into the fourth quarter, but the Titans defense will outshine the Texans defense. Tennessee will force more mistakes and create some easy points for the offense.

Mettenberger gets the monkey off of his back by getting a win as an NFL starter, and the Titans get out of the AFC South cellar.

Final Prediction: Titans 20, Texans 13

All stats courtesy of ESPN.com.