The Texans (9-7) wrap up the regular season this weekend at Tennessee (3-13). Each team is coming off a loss in Week 17. Here are five things to watch when they kick off at noon CT on Sunday in Nashville.
1) Who's in who's out – This matchup is an odd one for a variety of reasons. At the top of the list, though, is what a win or loss determines for each franchise. On Houston's end, no matter the outcome of Sunday's game, the Texans are the fourth seeded team in the AFC playoffs, and will host a Wild Card Playoff next weekend at NRG Stadium.
The Titans meanwhile, have lost 13 games. A 14th loss would ensure they pick second in the 2025 NFL Draft. If the Patriots beat the Bills, and Titans lose to the Texans, Tennessee would pick first in the NFL Draft.
Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans indicated earlier in the week that the starters will play. But he didn't specify for how much, and said "we'll see how the game goes" when asked about how much action they'll get.
Tennessee on Friday tabbed Will Levis to be the starter at quarterback for the Titans, but Head Coach Brian Callahan also explained that Mason Rudolph will likely get some playing time in the first half as well.
Bottom line: there are several variables in this matchup that will determine how much we'll see of the Texans starters.
2) Welcome back, Azeez – After missing the last three games because of suspension, Houston welcomes back captain Azeez Al-Shaair to the defense. He practiced with the team this week, and his return was greeted enthusiastically by Ryans and the players.
"We've really missed his leadership, missed his communication, not only on the defensive side, but for our entire team," Ryans said. "So, I'm fired up to have him back for us."
As mentioned above, Ryans didn't put a rep-count or a specific determination on how much Al-Shaair would play. But the linebacker will get some action against the Titans.
"It has been three weeks since he's been able to get out there and play, so it's just a matter of getting back out, hitting guys, getting used to hitting the ground again, getting up," Ryans said.
Al-Shaair was a Titan in 2023 and he racked up 163 total tackles last season. Callahan recognized what he means to the Texans defense.
"He's a major player for them in the middle," Callahan said. "He's sort of the heartbeat of that middle of the defense. When you miss a guy like that, you feel it. You feel that on defense and you miss the leadership.
3) Hello Diontae – Wide receiver Diontae Johnson signed with the Texans two days before Christmas and will likely get a chunk of playing time in Tennessee. A Pro Bowler in 2021 with the Steelers, Johnson's played with the Panthers and Ravens this season, and has a combined 31 catches for 363 yards and three touchdowns in eight games.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud is looking forward to throwing passes his way.
"He is a really skilled route runner, very knowledgeable about the game, very eager and motivated to play well and that is something that I like," Stroud said. "He is just really a smooth route runner and catches the ball really easy. I think he will do just fine here, and I am excited to work with him and build that connection."
4) Milestone time – A handful of Texans can hit some significant milestones in this game.
Defensive end Danielle Hunter is just a half-sack shy of 100 for his career. He has 12 this season, which is the third-highest total in the NFL. According to NextGen Stats, Hunter leads the league with 90 quarterback pressures.
Wide receiver Nico Collins, meanwhile, needs just 32 receiving yards to get to 1,000. If he gets there, it would be the second straight season Collins has done it.
With seven rushing yards, running back Joe Mixon would get to the 1,000-yard mark on the ground. Another 1,000-yard season for Mixon would be the fifth of his career.
5) Pressure cooker – With the likelihood of seeing both Levis and Rudolph, the Texans have a chance to get takeaways. The former has as many touchdowns as interceptions (12), and so does the latter (9). They also rank second and third in the NFL in giveaways per game, at 1.5 for Levis and 1.4 for Rudolph.
Houston sacked Levis eight times and picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown when the two teams met at NRG Stadium in November. Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke acknowledged that each quarterback has unique strengths, but Burke also said the gameplan won't be drastically different for the Texans on defense.
"I don't think, from a preparation, structural standpoint, there's necessarily a lot of difference," Burke said. "Sort of like the run game's the run game and their concepts are the same."
