It's the 45th meeting between the team that used to reside in Houston and the team that does reside in Houston. "Titans v. Texans" always has sizzle given the two teams' histories and its shared Houston ties. So, let's get into my By the Numbers for this one against the Titans.
5 - From the end of the 2019 season through the first matchup during the 2022 season, the Tennessee Titans won five of six matchups, including four of those in Houston.
3 - However, starting in December 2022, the Texans won three straight, including an overtime win in December 2023 in Nashville.
5 - Starting with the Texans win over the Titans in Nashville in December 2019, the Texans have beaten Tennessee five times. They've also won five times with FIVE different starting QBs.
2019 - Deshaun Watson
2021 - Tyrod Taylor
2022 - Davis Mills
2023, Game 1 - Case Keenum
2023, Game 2 - C.J. Stroud
23 to 21 - The Texans had closed the gap on the rivalry throughout the 2010s, but the aforementioned five out of six stretch for Tennessee gave them a lead in the rivalry. Currently, the Titans have won two more games in the 44 that these two teams have played. If the Texans can sweep the Titans this year, it'll be tied at 23 apiece heading into 2025.
10 - Texans DE Danielle Hunter generated pressures from all over the field, but according to Next Gen Stats, he racked up ten pressures and two sacks on 46 pass rushes against Dallas in the Texans MNF win in Arlington.
7 - The Texans are 7-4 for the first time since 2019, when they were also 7-4 at the same point in the season.
163 - The only team penalized more than the Texans and the Titans is the Baltimore Ravens. The two AFC South combatants have combined for 163 penalties, although the Texans have slowed that trend a bit the past few weeks.
26.3 - The Titans have allowed the seventh most points per game in the league, but I won't put that all on that unit as Titans QB Will Levis has accounted for a number of pick sixes and giveaways that have led directly to TDs in 2024.
278.0 - The Titans defense is 2nd in the entire league in yards allowed in 2024
4.8 - The Titans defense is 1st in the league in yards per play allowed.
157.2 - The last, and only, time that Texans QB C.J. Stroud faced the number one pass defense in the league, he torched the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round of the playoffs in 2023. He completed 16 of 21 for 274 yards and three TDs in the Texans 45-14 blowout win against Cleveland.
The Titans have the number one pass defense in the league, so here's hoping for a similar result.
46.3 - The Texans defense allows just over 46% completion rate at NRG Stadium. The only QB to throw for over 60% this year at NRG Stadium was Bears rookie Caleb Williams. The only two QBs to throw for over 50% in Houston against the Texans defense were Williams and Jaguars former number one overall Trevor Lawrence.
The last three?
Bills QB Josh Allen - 30%
Colts QB Anthony Richardson - 31%
Lions QB Jared Goff - 50%
Two of those three names are mentioned in the MVP discussion on a weekly basis. One completed just nine of 30 passes against the Texans defense and the other one completed five passes TO the Texans defense.
0.0 - The passer rating for Cowboys QB Cooper Rush when he targeted Derek Stingley Jr on MNF last week. The Texans former overall #3 draft pick in 2022 gave the Cowboys a Blutarski. Dated reference? Sure. Animal House, go watch it and you'll understand.
That's going to do it for my By the Numbers this week. Thanks for reading! See ya on Sunday afternoon, everyone!
