It took until Week 5, but the Houston Texans have finally gotten their first win of the season against the Tennessee Titans. It was a dominant victory on both sides of the ball with Houstonputting up 26 points and the defense holding Tennessee to just three points.
Houston was finally able to run the ball, but it was clear that Woody Marks must be their primary back going forward after he finished the game with 62 rushing yards and an average of 4.1 yards per carry. David Montgomery exited the game with an injury, but only had 2.2 yards per carry before the injury.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud had a solid day in the passing game with 261 passing yards and a touchdown to wide receiver Jaylin Noel. He also had a rushing touchdown. Defensively, this was
easily the best game of the season for the Texans. They never allowed Tennessee to score a touchdown and they only had one red zone trip. The defense also forced two turnovers and four sacks.
Here are the studs and duds from Houston’s first win of the season, including All-Pro Will Anderson, who had another monster game andMontgomery, who has essentially been irrelevant since the season opener.
Stud: DE Will Anderson Jr
Will Anderson Jr. had three sacks in this game, which is completely insane. It is just the second game of his career with three sacks and he has not done so since Houston defeated the New England Patriots 41-21 back in October of 2024. He is on a complete tear this season with 7.5 sacks in just five games, putting him on track to potentially break the sack record set by Myles Garrett last season, who had 23 sacks.
Dud: RB David Montgomery
He left the game with an injury, but Montgomery did a lot of nothing once again with just 11 rushing yards. Montgomery has yet to average more than three yards per carry in a game this year. Houston brought him on to be the primary running back after struggling to run the ball last season. However, it seems pretty clear at this point that it is time to move on from Montgomery and give the reins to Woody Marks.
Stud: Jalen Pitre
Back when it was just 6-3, Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre recovered a fumble which set up another field goal for the Texans to make it 9-3. Especially for someone who had not done much statistically this season, it was good to see Pitre make this play and generate some positive momentum for Houston which they built on throughout the game.
Dud: CB Kamari Lassiter
Lassiter did not do much statistically with four total tackles, including three solo tackles; he also defended a pass. However, he had a pass interference on Tennessee’s opening drive in the third quarter on third-and-long, which gave the Titans the automatic first down. It ultimately was not costly since Tennessee had to punt, but that kind of play still cannot happen.
Stud: WR Xavier Hutchinson
Hutchinson finished the game as Houston’s leading receiver with four receptions for 65 yards and an average of 16.3 yards per reception. The Texans did not need a big game from him, but it was good to see Houston’s wide receiver depth, especially now that Marvin Harrison Jr. is a part of the locker room.
Stud: WR Jaylin Noel
Noel finally got more involved in the offense this week with five receptions on all his targets for 41 yards and the only passing touchdown of the game for Houston’s offense. It was an impressive touchdown too as he was able to get both feet down near the back of the end zone. He also had a decent kick return for 22 yards.
Stud: K Ka’imi Fairbairn
Over half of Houston’s points in this game came from their kicker, Ka’imi Fairbairn. He made all four of his field goal attempts and made both extra points for 14 total points. His field goals in the beginning of the game were particularly important as the Texans were trying to establish some momentum.
Stud: LB Jake Hansen
Before this game, Hansen did not have an interception in his NFL career. Now, he does after getting an interception against Titans quarterback Cam Ward and returning it 22 yards. Houston was able to turn that into a field goal in the second quarter and helped Houston’s defense establish their dominance in this game.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Studs and duds from Houston’s 26-3 win against the Titans
