AFC South cellar up for grabs as Titans host Texans
Just remember where the boss, owner Bud Adams, still lives.
Yes, the man who moved his Oilers to Tennessee and renamed them the Titans still calls Houston home. He and even lives near Texans owner Bob McNair. So games between the former and current Houston teams offer bragging rights, if little else.
“We always look at this as a must-win game for our franchise,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said.
Pride is the only thing on the line when the Texans (1-11) try to avoid being swept by the Titans (3-9) for the third time in their four seasons. Houston coach Dom Capers needs a miracle to retain his job, while Fisher appears to have a cushion while the Titans are rebuilding.
The Texans and Titans need a victory just to remember how winning feels. Houston has lost five straight since its lone victory over Cleveland on Oct. 30, while Tennessee has lost six of seven.
“You got personal pride, team pride, personal goals, team goals, whatever it might be,” Texans defensive end Gary Walker said. “Whatever you need, just play. They’re not exactly having the best season in the world, either.”
The Titans’ only victories have been over teams with losing records: Baltimore, Houston and San Francisco on Nov. 27. For a franchise that finished last in the AFC South last season after being swept by Houston, returning the favor would be a small measure of improvement.
“We’ll take the win if they don’t want it,” Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said.
The Titans lost 35-3 to the NFL’s best team at Indianapolis last week and now find themselves playing the league’s worst in Houston. They want to prove they’ve been learning quickly in this poor season.
“We have a quarter of a season left,” Titans receiver Drew Bennett said. “It’s not like we don’t have anything to work for. I think it would be great, kind of jump-start on the offseason, if we can win four-of-four, three-of-four going into the offseason. That would be great, especially for the young guys.”
Look for the Titans to try and run all over a defense allowing 151.4 yards per game, with Chris Brown and Travis Henry, who have yet to rush for 100 yards in a game, leading the charge.
Steve McNair could have trouble throwing after losing three of his favorite receivers, including tight end Erron Kinney, out after having his right knee scoped.
The Texans are coming off their best defensive performance, allowing a season-low 238 yards in the 16-15 loss at Baltimore. That is why Capers is sticking with rookie free safety C.C. Brown for a second straight week, and the juggling also includes Fred Weary playing for the first time this season, starting at right guard.
The Texans will have to prove they have recovered from blowing a 24-3 lead in losing to St. Louis on Nov. 27.
“The other one doesn’t bother us too much; we’re still in shock from the first one,” David Carr said.
Carr does have receiver Andre Johnson, who strained a calf muscle in the first quarter of their 34-20 loss to Tennessee on Oct. 9. Domanick Davis, who ran for 130 yards in that game in Houston, is coming off a season-high 155 yards rushing against Baltimore.
For a team that dreamed of a winning record, the Texans are back to measuring themselves against the team they replaced.
“We’ve been getting after them,” Davis said. “We have just got to try to keep doing that. We have got to try to win this time. We need a win bad around here.”
To which the Titans say amen.