The Houston Texans travel to Nashville, TN on Sunday afternoon to face the Tennessee Titans. The Texans head into this week with a 1-4 record while the Titans are undefeated on the season. The Titans lead the all-time series 19-17 while the Texans have won the last two of three meetings. The Texans are struggling to find their groove following the trade of DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona and then the firing of Bill O’Brien following four straight losses to open the season. Houston won its first game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, 30-14. The Titans are one of four undefeated teams entering Week 6. (Green Bay, Seattle, Pittsburgh) and look to extend their streak.
Houston Texans
Offense
Deshaun Watson had his best week of the season last week against the Jaguars. He passed for 359 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions for a 109.1 rating. Watson posted a 71.4 percent completion rate with 25-35 passes completed.
David Johnson rushed for his season-high 96 yards in Week 5 and is aiming for his third game in a row with more than 90 scrimmage yards and his third in a row with a rushing touchdown. Johnson is tied for second place in the among running backs in touch down catches and is ranked fifth in receiving yards.
Will Fuller posted four receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown last week and has recorded a receiving touchdown versus the Titans in the last two of three meetings. Darren Fells posted a season-high 57 receiving yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville while Brandin Cooks also recorded a touchdown catch last week. Cooks also led the team with eight receptions for 161 yards against the Jaguars.
Defense
Whitney Mercilus leads the team with three sacks on the season, including one last week as well as a fumble recovery. He is going for his third game in a row with at least one sack and posted an interception in the last matchup.
Zach Cunningham also posted a sack in Week 5 in addition to two tackles for loss and is tied for the lead in the league with 53 tackles in 2020.
Jacob Martin also recorded a sack and a forced fumble against Jacksonville and has recorded a sack in his last two of three divisional games.
J.J. Watt had his first fumble recovery of the season last week and also posted a pass deflection. In his history versus the Titans, Watt has at least one forced fumble in seven of the last eight games.
Tennessee Titans
Offense
Ryan Tannehill recorded 195 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions for a 129.3 rating against Buffalo last week. Tannehill also had a rushing touchdown and 42 rushing yards. In his last five of six games, he has recorded two or more touchdown passes without any interceptions.
Derrick Henry rushed the ball for 57 yards and two touchdowns last week, which was his sixth game with two or more rushing touchdowns (including last season). In the last meeting between the teams, Henry rushed for 211 yards and three touchdowns and is third in the league with 376 rushing yards this season.
A.J. Brown led the Titans with seven receptions for 82 yards and his first touchdown of the season in last week’s victory. He is going for his third game in a row with five or more catches and his third in a row against Houston with 100 or more receiving yards and a touchdown catch.
Jonnu Smith also put two touchdowns on the board last week and recorded five receptions for 40 yards. In his last three games at home, he has put five touchdowns on the records.
Defense
Malcolm Butler recorded seven tackles, one tackle for loss, and two interceptions in Week 5 and Harold Landry posted his first sack of the season last week.
Johnathan Joseph is going for his fourth game in a row with at least one pass deflection when he plays against his former team. Joseph had a total of 118 pass deflections and 17 interceptions in his nine years with Houston.
Jadeveon Clowney posted his season-high two pass deflections last week against Buffalo. Clowney spent five seasons with Houston and recorded 29 sacks, 11 pass deflections, five forced fumble and five fumble recoveries in that time.
Game Info
Date: October 18, 2020
Time: 1:00 P.M. est
Location: Nashville, TN
Venue: Nissan Stadium
TV: CBS
Betting Odds Sponsored by Jazz Sportsbook
Point Spread: HOU +3.5 (-110) | TEN -3.5 (-110)
Moneyline: HOU +165 | TEN -205
Over/Under: Over 53.5 (-110) | Under 53.5 (-110)
Tennessee has scored an average of 30 points per game while Texas has scored an average of 18 points per game, so based on each team’s scoring history, the under would be best to take on this game. Even if both teams are offensively productive 53.5 is a high scoring game.
Prediction
The Texans have really struggled this season without Hopkins and the offensive has not stepped up in his absence. Watson doesn’t have the pass protection he needs and the defense has come out flat so far this season. Although they may be motivated by last week’s win, it wasn’t really a big game, and the team has to bring their A-game to defeat the Titans. The Titans will have an easy win at home after struggling with COVID-19 difficulties in the last couple of weeks.
*Final Score: Houston 16, Tennessee 24*
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