The Texans aren’t playing good football by any stretch, but they did show they are better than the Titans on Sunday.
Houston blanked Tennessee 26-0 in a game that might have set modern-era football back years. The Texans are 1-3, while the Titans remain winless at 0-4.
The Texans led 6-0 at halftime but scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. They entered the game ranked 32nd in scoring with three touchdowns and 38 points in the first three games.
The Texans ranked 29th in total offense but outgained the Titans 353 to 175, perhaps putting Brian Callahan’s future with Tennessee in question.
C.J. Stroud, who has taken heavy criticism for his play to start his third season, had his best game of the season. He went 22-of-28 for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He had a 12-yard touchdown throw to running back Woody Marks and a 24-yarder to rookie Jayden Higgins. Marks also had an 18-yard touchdown run, running for 69 yards on 17 carries and catching four passes for 50 yards.
Nico Collins caught four passes for 79 yards.
Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked field goals from 47 and 43 yards but missed from 54. Titans kicker Joey Slye missed from 41 and 43 yards.
Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick, went 10-of-26 for 108 yards with an interception.
Derek Stingley, who was questionable to play with an oblique injury, intercepted Ward on a high pass that bounced off the hands of Elic Ayomanor in the fourth quarter. Danielle Hunter had two sacks.
The Texans and Titans have played like the winless teams they are thus far.
Houston leads Tennessee 6-0 at halftime.
The teams have combined for 249 yards, three sacks, zero red-zone trips, two missed field goals and five punts.
The only points have come on field goals of 47 and 43 yards by Ka’imi Fairbairn. Joey Slye missed a 43-yarder wide right to end a miserable half of football. Slye earlier missed a 41-yarder.
The Texans have outgained the Titans 126 to 123.
C.J. Stroud is 10-of-14 for 82 yards, with Dalton Schultz catching four for 25 and Nico Collins two for 25. Woody Marks has eight catches for 34 yards.
Cam Ward is 7-of-17 for 83 yards, with Elic Ayomanor catching two passes for 44 yards and Calvin Ridley two for 30.
The Buccaneers listed quarterback Baker Mayfield as questionable to face the Eagles on Sunday, but any doubt about his availability came to an end 90 minutes ahead of kickoff.
Mayfield is active despite a right biceps injury that limited him in practice all week. The Bucs will also have two of Mayfield’s offensive teammates in the lineup for the first time this season.
Wide receiver Chris Godwin and left tackle Tristan Wirfs are both active for the matchup of 3-0 teams in Tampa. Godwin has not played since fracturing his ankle in Week 7 of the 2024 season while Wirfs had knee surgery this summer.
Eagles at Buccaneers
Eagles: CB Adoree’ Jackson, QB Sam Howell, DE Azeez Ojulari, OL Drew Kendall, WR Xavier Gipson
Buccaneers: WR Mike Evans, DL C.J. Brewer, S Christian Izien, CB Kindle Vildor, RB Josh Williams
Commanders at Falcons
Commanders: QB Jayden Daniels, WR Terry McLaurin, WR Noah Brown, TE John Bates, S Percy Butler, OL Brandon Coleman, DE Preston Smith
Falcons: WR KhaDarel Hodge, CB A.J. Terrell, RB Nathan Carter, OL Jack Nelson, DL Sam Roberts
Saints at Bills
Saints: WR Trey Palmer, RB Devin Neal, CB Rejzohn Wright, OL Xavier Truss, OL Dillon Radunz, DT Jonathan Bullard, DE Chase Young
Bills: T Spencer Brown, CB Brandon Codrington, CB Ja’Marcus Ingram, LB Matt Milano, DT Ed Oliver, DE Landon Jackson
Browns at Lions
Browns: QB Shedeur Sanders, S Damontae Kazee, CB Cameron Mitchell, RB Raheim Sanders, DT Mike Hall Jr., T Thayer Munford, T Jack Conklin
Lions: RB Sione Vaki, LB Zach Cunningham, OL Equakun Kingsley, DL Mekhi Wingo, DL Chris Smith
Panthers at Patriots
Panthers: WR Jimmy Horn, WR Xavier Legette, C Nick Samac, TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, LB Pat Jones, DT Jaden Crumedy, LB DJ Wonnum
Patriots: G Jared Wilson, WR Efton Chism, G Caeden Wallace, LB Elijah Ponder, DT Eric Gregory, QB Tommy DeVito
Chargers at Giants
Chargers: RB Tyrone Tracy, DL Chauncey Golston, OL Evan Neal, TE Thomas Fidone, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, S Beau Brade, QB Jameis Winston
Giants: WR Derius Davis, S R.J. Mickens, CB Nikko Reed, G Mekhi Becton, TE Will Dissly, DT Otito Ogbonnia
Titans at Texans
Titans: S Kevin Winston, CB Samuel Womack, T JC Latham, OL John Ojukwu, G Jackson Slater, WR Bryce Oliver
Texans: WR Braxton Berrios, QB Graham Mertz, RB Dameon Pierce, CB Zion Childress, DE Darrell Taylor, T Cam Robinson
The Texans found their way out of chronic dysfunction for a pair of AFC South crowns and consecutive finishes in the NFL’s final eight. So far this year, it’s been a very different story.
A must-win situation unfolds on Sunday, when the team formerly known as the Houston Oilers returns as the currently 0-3 Tennessee Titans.
If the Texans are going to turn things around and avoid being dumped into the basement of the division, they need a solid performance from quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Once regarded as the next inevitable $60 million quarterback, Stroud has been struggling lately. He has gone seven straight games without multiple touchdown passes. That’s the longest streak for any Texans quarterback since David Carr in 2006.
Stroud has also lost four games in a row, including the 2024 AFC divisional round at Kansas City, for the first time in his NFL or college career.
In Stroud’s defense, he doesn’t have many weapons in the passing game, beyond receiver Nico Collins. Still, Stroud has slumped to a passer rating of 76.9 among qualifying quarterbacks, which puts him behind the now-benched Russell Wilson.
In his first NFL season, Titans quarterback Cam Ward has been under siege.
He leads the league with 15 sacks absorbed. On Sunday at Houston, he could join a very small club.
With four or more sacks, Ward would become only the third first-round quarterback since the AFL-NFL merger to be sacked four or more times in each of his first four games.
The others were Saints quarterback Archie Manning in 1971 and Texans quarterback David Carr in 2002.
More importantly for the Titans, they haven’t won a game. Their best chance yet comes when they face the 0-3 Texans on Sunday.
Dating back to last season, the Titans have lost nine in a row. And it feels like the seat is getting hotter and hotter on second-year coach Brian Callahan.
