Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans Preview

Time: Oct. 18, noon, CBS

Location: Nissan Stadium

Line: TEN -3.5

Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans look to remain undefeated and will take on the AFC South rival the Houston Texans. The Houston Texans are coming off their first win of the season under new coach Romeo Crennel. Former head coach Bill O’Brien was fired two weeks ago.

Titans Keys to Victory:

1. Keeping Tannehill Rolling: Ryan Tannehill has shown so far this season that he is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Tannehill’s success has quieted his doubters as he continues to stack up wins. If Tannehill continues his pace, he should be able to snag another win on Sunday afternoon.

2. Containing Deshaun Watson: Watson is one of the most talented and dangerous quarterbacks in the entire league. With his creative escape ability and playmaking, it makes the defense have to never give up on a play.

3. Winning the Turnover Margin: As the favorites, the Titans should be able to pick up a victory at home. Avoiding any costly miscues is a must – the Texans will be looking to cause Tannehill and the Titan offense to make mistakes.

Texans Keys to Victory:

1. Slowing Down the Titans Offense: The Texans will need to be able to slow down Henry and Tannehill to be able to have a shot in this game. The Texans give up almost 30 points a game, which is one of the most in the NFL.

2. Protecting Watson: If the Texans can give their star quarterback time to operate and hit some of his receivers, the Texans can move the ball and score points.

3. Getting 3 and Outs: The Texans defense can really benefit from keeping the ball in Watson’s hands and keeping it away from the Titans offense. The Titans can pound the ball on the ground which will run and burn the clock.

My Prediction

I predict that this game will be close - most games between the Titans and Texans are. When teams are faced with coaching turnover, the players and coaching staff usually use it as extra motivation to play their best. In the end, the Titans just have to much offense for the Texans to overcome. Derrick Henry scores two touchdowns and Tannehill continues his success.

Titans 35 Texans 22