John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.
Even though Sunday's game at Tennessee – last on the regular-season schedule -- has no bearing on the playoff race, it's important that the Texans defeat the Titans for a multitude of reasons.
The Texans are coming off back-to-back losses to Kansas City and Baltimore, two of the NFL's best teams, and they need a victory in the worst way before going into the playoffs as the AFC South champions.
"I want our guys to gain that confidence from doing ball the right way," Head Coach DeMeco Ryans said this week. "You want to have that confidence. You want to be playing your best ball at this point of the year."
There's no shame in losing 27-19 at Kansas City because the Chiefs are 15-1 and earned home-field advantage through the AFC playoffs. But the Texans' 31-2 loss to the Ravens at NRG Stadium was alarming. It resembled the 34-7 defeat at Minnesota on Sept. 22.
"Collectively, we all have to play better," Ryans said. "And when we have an outing like we did versus Baltimore, no one did good enough."
The Texans rebounded from their 27-point loss to the Vikings with a three-game winning streak, including a 23-20 conquest of Buffalo in what proved to be their most impressive victory of the season. They need that same kind of response, beginning Sunday when Ryans is expected to utilize an all-hands-on-deck strategy.
The Titans aren't the Ravens, of course, so another lopsided loss isn't likely, but the Texans need to win and look good doing it.
"Our last outing was not good enough, not a good representation of our team," Ryans said. "We've got to play better football.
"Everybody has to be ready to go. Everybody will be out there playing, and we'll see how the game goes. Right now, we've got to play better. We'll see where we are, how the game goes, be smart about what we're doing and be intentional about everything we're doing knowing what we have ahead of us."
If, indeed, Ryans deploys the strategy of playing his starters – for how long remains to be seen – his players will benefit because their last game against the Ravens was played on Christmas Day. Ryans gave his players enough time off, and they're itching to strap on the pads and try to earn a victory.
"I think it's a feel for where your team is at this point of the season, and right now, our team needs to be playing better before we head into the postseason," Ryans said. "I still want our guys to play good football.
"That's what it comes down to, us playing better football. That's all that matters. When we step across those white lines, are we executing? Are we playing good football? That's all that matters to me. That's starting with coaches (and) players -- we all have to do our jobs better, and that's what I'm looking forward to."
The Texans in general and the offense in particular need something positive to happen in Nashville to build confidence and momentum as they prepare to host a wild-card game, probably Jan. 11 and most likely against the Steelers or Chargers, which will be determined by this weekend's results.
The last thing the Texans need is to lose a second game to the Titans, one of the worst teams in the league. Tennessee came to Houston on Nov. 24 and pulled off a 32-27 upset that was the Texans' worst loss of the season.
If the 3-13, Columbia Blue-clad Titans sweep the Texans, it'll cost them dearly. As it stands today, they have the second overall pick in the draft behind the Patriots, which would put them in position to select one of the top quarterback prospects.
If they lose to the Texans, the Titans' reward could be the first pick in the draft, but a victory could knock Tennessee all the way into the ninth spot, depending on what happens on Saturday and Sunday.
Needless to say, nobody in the organization wants to enter the playoffs with a three-game losing streak. In 2023, Ryans' first season, the Texans won three of their last four games, entered the playoffs with a ton of momentum and pulverized the Browns in the wild-card round before being eliminated at Baltimore.
Despite their inconsistency this season, especially on offense, a victory Sunday would give the Texans a 10-7 record, the same as Ryans' first season. If they carry that momentum into the playoffs and win another wild-card game at home, they'll be in the same position as last season when they played the divisional-round game on the road.
"We have our work cut out for us," Ryans said. "I want to see our guys play the right way and gain some confidence going into the postseason.
"The mindset of our team (is) renewed energy. I feel our guys are upbeat, excited about the opportunity to go to Tennessee and play a tough opponent. Our guys are in a good spot mentally (and) physically, and we're excited to compete."
