Titans Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees to Coach vs. Texans After Health Scare

Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees, who was hospitalized during the team's matchup against the Indianapolis Colts on November 18 with a medical issue, will reportedly coach on Monday night against the Houston Texans, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

Pees spent last Sunday in an Indianapolis hospital before he was transported back to Nashville, where he was given "banker hours" for the following week, working 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters, per Erik Bacharach of the Tennessean. 

Vrabel also sent Pees home early on Friday:

"Dean was tired today and I asked him to go home. I wanted him to get some rest. I'm trying to get Dean to Monday night, just like I would all the players.

"The plan was simply, 'Hey, Dean, why don't you go get some rest? Why don't you go get some sleep?' That's what I felt was best to get him to the game. Just like I would a player, whether we would try to hold him from practice or limit his reps or make sure he got treatment at certain times. I wanted him to get some rest."

The Titans are currently 10th in yards allowed (334.9 YPG) and second in points allowed (18.9 PPG) under Pees.

Monday night's matchup against Houston is crucial. The Titans currently sit at 5-5, two games behind the Texas (7-3) in the division and a half-game back of the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts for the second AFC Wild Card.

Were the Titans to beat the Texans, they'd pull to within one game in the division with the head-to-head tiebreaker in their favor having already defeated Houston in September. Lose, however, and the Titans would fall three games back in the division and a full game back in the wild-card chase with just five games remaining.