Titans vs Texans: The Keys to Victory
This is a big game for the Titans. It’s their last hope of making the playoffs and their chance at finishing the season with a winning record. The Texans have been on a two game slider and are looking to win this game to give themselves a little momentum headed into the playoffs. This looks to be a hard fought game between to heated rivals. Here’s what the Titans need to do in order to come out on top…
Stop the run game. Arian Foster and Ben Tate have been carrying this team since the loss of Schaub and Andre Johnson. If the Titans can shut down the run game and force the Texans to try and move the ball via Yates and the air, they have a really good chance of winning this game.
Make Yate throw the ball more than the Texans want him to. Yates is a rookie, plain and simple, and it’s been showing the past couple weeks. He’s thrown 0 touchdowns over the past two weeks compared to the 2 interceptions he has thrown. If the Titans can force the Texans to throw the ball over 30 times, it’s highly likely they get at least one turnover, if not more.
Stay away from the penalties. The Titans had zero penalties last game. That was their first game since 1972 that they have played without committing a penalty. They need to do it again this week because every yard is gonna matter. It’ll be a challenge seems as these two teams have one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL. I don’t know that I’ve ever watched a Titans/Texans game that didn’t have a fight in it…
PASS THE BALL DEEP! After two weeks of conservative, short passes from Hasselbeck, the Titans finally tossed the ball down field last week and were handsomely rewarded. Jared Cook pulled off a 40 yard touchdown while Nate Washington brought the ball all the way to the 1 yard line where Jamie Harper would proceed to punch it into the end zone. Damian Williams also had a beautiful grab on a deep ball. The Titans can’t have conservative pass plays if they want to top the Texans.
Stay aggressive. Munchak has been every Titans fan’s dream in terms of aggressive play calling. If it’s 4th & 1 and the Titans are down, Munchak doesn’t even bat an eye. He makes the call to go for it and the Titans have had great success on converting those 4th downs. It’s important that Munchak keeps up that intense type of play calling, letting the players know that he believes in them and that they should believe in themselves.
If the Titans are able to stop the Texans run game, or at least slow it down, I really believe they win this one. The Texans just aren’t the same team they were earlier in the year and Andre Johnson will be in on a limited snap count.
With that being said, I also think they make the playoffs. The Titans main needs are for them to win, the Jets to win and the Bengals to lose. The Jets are playing the Dolphins, who will be minus Reggie Bush and the Bengals are playing the 2nd AFC playoff seed, the Ravens. Both of those games have a high chance of going the Titans way. Then all you have to do is hope that the Broncos and Raiders don’t both win. One of those teams can win, but not both. If all that happens, the Titans are in.
It’s just that simple. You can check it for yourself.
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