Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud pushed into the end zone, and a familiar tone began emanating from the Nissan Stadium stands early in the third quarter.
Tennessee Titans fans were audibly booing.
The Texans’ 26-3 victory over Tennessee on Oct. 11 handed quarterback Cam Ward and the Titans their fifth consecutive loss, securing the organization's worst start (0-5, 0-1 AFC South) since 2009.
It was the low point in a Titan season that didn’t have many highs to begin with. Tennessee had a season-worst 187 total yards.
They had drawn some hope from three previous losses by six points or less. But entering Week 5 with its “Own the (AFC) South” battle cry, Tennessee never threatened division rival Houston (1-4, 1-1).
Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward
finished 23-of-36 passing for 170 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He was sacked three times and the Titans reached the red zone just once.
Titans coach Robert Saleh, who's still searching for his first win in Nashville, said during the week that the Texans were maybe “the best 0-4 team in NFL history." Houston ranked 14th in the league in yards per game coming in (343.8) and was sixth in passing yards per game (264.8)
That finally equated to a win. Stroud had trouble finishing drives early but found a groove, finishing 26-of-34 passing for 261 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
A late fourth-quarter Tennessee drive went 11 plays for 22 net yards, including 25 yards in penalties, and the booing began again, as it did when the final horn sounded.
Tennessee’s turnover struggles continue
Two first-half Tennessee turnovers led to six Houston points.
That wasn’t a death sentence, but the Titans needed all the possessions they could get. And they continued to show an inability to create takeaways on defense.
Tennessee has forced just two turnovers in five games.
Even when the Titans set themselves up for a disruptive play, nothing came of it. Stroud dropped the snap and faced pressure early in the third quarter, then dumped off a well-defended pass for a first down.
Stroud capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown to make it 19-3 Houston, and Titans fans began to boo. Tennessee had only run 25 offensive plays to Houston’s 51.
Titans show little signs of life offensively
Outside of a few opening-drive flashes that led to a field goal, the offense was almost non-existent.
Tennessee had 91 yards of offense by halftime and trailed 12-3. That included a 1-of-5 mark on third down and two turnovers, with Tyjae Spears losing a fumble and Ward throwing an interception under pressure.
Ward was 8-of-17 for 62 yards at intermission, and his receivers were hardly involved. Five of his completions were to Spears getting open out of the backfield.
Tennessee would've fallen behind big early had the Texans not bumbled through six penalties for 60 yards and settled for four field goals.
Tennessee secondary injuries pile up
The Titans were already down veteran safety Amani Hooker (concussion), and things got dicier when starting safety Kevin Winston Jr. (quadricep) left the game.
Backup safety Tony Adams and starting cornerback Cor’Dale Flott were also banged up during several stretches, leaving Tennessee with an unproven secondary that Houston could regularly attack.
Backup corner Micah Robinson was in for Flott early in the fourth quarter and was beaten by Jaylin Noel for a 9-yard touchdown that made it 26-3 Houston.
That put safety Isaiah Oliver, who was elevated from the practice squad this week for depth, and backup Terrell Burgess in the crosshairs. Houston was able to attack deep down the middle of the field at times.
Tyler Palmateer covers the Tennessee Titans for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Fans boo as Tennessee Titans reach 0-5 after Houston Texans loss
