The 0-4 Houston Texans travel to Nashville to take on the 0-4 Tennessee Titans on Sunday. It’s not a huge surprise that the Titans are 0-4, but a lot of people thought the Texans were going to be Super Bowl contenders this season. That feels like a long shot at 0-4. It would be virtually impossible at 0-5.
On paper, the Texans are a much better team. Their defensive front is one of the best in the league. The Titans offensive line has played much better this year, but they have not faced a front like
this to this point. This will be a really good test for that unit.
I’d love to call an upset here, but I just don’t see it. The Titans are going to get the Texans’ best shot with their season on the line. Cam Ward played better last week than the week before, but he is going to be under more pressure this week. We have seen that when he feels pressure, he has the tendency to revert to some bad habits that create inconsistent play. Look for the Texans to get at least 4 sacks of Ward in this one.
On defense, the key to stopping the Texans is stopping Nico Collins. The Texans average over 30 points per game when Collins plays and under 12 points per game when he doesn’t. Obviously, it isn’t exactly that simple, but those are the facts. The Titans will be without starting safety Amani Hooker. While Hooker hasn’t exactly been lights out this season, the secondary is better with him on the field.
Collins is +144 to get 90 yards receiving in this game over at FanDuel Sportsbook. That feels like free money to me.
Score prediction: Texans 27 Titans 13
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