Tennesee Titans Beat Houston Texans 20-17: Vince Young Shows Potential

Titans-go-for-four/20091123164247" title="Monday Night Football: Week 11">Week 11 Monday Night Football Game : The Tennessee Titans are the hands down winner of this year’s prize for "Most effective use of a bye week" reward. Houston (-4) will try to put an end to the Titans winning ways in the Week 11 Monday nighter between these two AFC South rivals.

QB Vince Young —winner of three-straight games since acquiring the starting job from Kerry Collins—leads his team into Houston on Monday to see if he can make it four against the Texans.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young (10) races upfield followed by Houston Texans' Connor Barwin (98) and DeMeco Ryans (59) during the third quarter of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, in Houston.

Tennessee (3-6) at Houston (5-4)
Line: Texans -4
Over/Under: 49

Turnovers, better play from the secondary and a run-game that ranks at the top of the NFL are the keys to the Titans success since the bye. Houston’s defense, which ranked near the bottom of the league for the first month, is now charged with bringing the Titans back down from their winning ways.

Houston came out on top when these teams met in Week 2, 34-31 in Tennessee, but is well aware of how much the Titans have improved. RB Chris Johnson leads the league in rushing yards and it’s taken a load off for Young. Enough some say, to make Young’s move into the No. 1 slot permanent.

Young won in his last start at Houston, 26-20 on December 10, 2006. Overall the Titans are 5-2 SU at Houston since the Texans became the NFL’s 32nd team.

Ryan Moats will be the No. 1 starter for the Texans but online sportsbooks are also taking into account that Houston RB Steve Slaton is likely to see a good number of carries as well. The Titans have given up more TD passes than any other team in the league and Slaton is a YAC-yard specialist—taking as many Yards after the Catch as the Titans are willing to give.

Protection for Young has been another big part of Tennessee’s success story and if Young has time he will be a threat against the Houston secondary. The Titans have only allowed their QB to be sacked seven times, which is least in the league and Tennessee remembers all too well what happens if they let the explosive Texans offense hang around too long.

With the Indianapolis Colts all but clinching the division in Sunday’s 17-15 win over Baltimore the Texans and Titans have been relegated to the role of wild card hopeful. Both will be 100-percent focused in this game and it should come down to who can play better in the fourth quarter.

The Texans host the Colts next week, the team that put an end to Houston’s three-game win streak before the bye, so Houston will look to regain momentum for the rematch. Tennessee will be home to Arizona.