Devin Singletary was terrific on Sunday in Nashville. So terrific, his quarterback sometimes turned into a fan on the field.
Singletary knifed his way through the Titans defense for 121 yards on 26 carries, and also caught four passes for 49 yards in the 19-16 road triumph for the Texans.
The shiftiness and patience of the running back nicknamed 'Motor, caused Case Keenum to take a moment to appreciate Singletary's runs from a unique vantage point.
"Man, he made some incredible moves," Keenum said. "I don't know if anybody else has a view of what I do. I probably should be carrying out my fake, but I peek back and watch. He had little subtleties of movements, and he set up blocks. Can make guys move, around their blockers and then squirt through these little holes. Man it's impressive to watch. He's an impressive guy."
For his part, Singletary was quick to give credit to his offensive line for the 121-yard day on the ground.
"The guys up front were getting a lot of movement," Singletary said. "So it was like, 'Man, let's keep at it.' Let's keep going. It's working. And we came out on top."
According to Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans, the Texans knew running the ball would be hard. But they knew it was imperative to getting a win at Tennessee.
"That was our plan, to try to run the ball," Ryans said. "We know they have a tough front, and it wasn't going to be easy. But we had to stay after it. Motor did a really nice job. The o-line did a really nice job of staying after their blocks and finishing. Motor, he had the hot hand and we continued to ride him and he showed up big for us."
Motor's biggest play from scrimmage came on the first play of the game's final drive. The Texans were on their own 20-yard line. Keenum was under pressure, scrambled, and found Singletary on the right side of the field. He zipped up the sideline for a 41-yard completion, and Houston was now on the Titans' 39-yard line.
According to Singletary, contributing through the passing game is a key component of his job.
"That's the offense: it's going to take everybody," Singletary said. "But as a running back, you got to be able to catch the ball. You got to be able to pass protect. You got to be able to run the ball, and we were able to put that on display today."
It's the third time in 2023 Singletary eclipsed the 100-yard mark in a game. He now has 711 rushing yards on the season.
He and the Texans will host the Browns next Sunday at NRG Stadium. The Christmas Eve kickoff is set for noon CT.
