The Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans will battle this Sunday to avoid being the biggest loser in the AFC South. Both teams are coming into this game 0-4, while the Jacksonville Jaguars are 3-1 and the Indianapolis Colts are 2-2.
Both the Texans and the Titans need to win this game if they are going to have any chance at the postseason.
Tennessee is led by second-year quarterback and former No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. His rookie season was rocky both in wins and production, totaling just 15 touchdown passes to seven interceptions, as well as being sacked 55 times. The Titans also finished with four wins and fired head coach Brian Callahan less than two months into the season.
This season, the Titans added a new weapon for Ward to work with
rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate. The Ohio State product is coming off a big game in Week 4 and will be looking to continue that momentum this week.
Tennessee also has a great defensive mind with head coach Robert Saleh who had two successful stints with the San Francisco 49ers as their defensive coordinator. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans addressed what he has seen from the Titans so far as Houston prepares for this game.
“The Titans team, they’ve battled. They've been in some tight football games, very similar to our group,” Ryans said. “They've been on the losing side of those matches, but those games have been tight. They play some really good football teams, had some rough weather in a lot of their games. They're a good football team. We're not discrediting that team. Their quarterback is a really good player. Both running backs are really good. Their defense flies around to the football, having known what Saleh requires of that group. They’re a really good team, good special teams unit. It'll be a really good match for us.”
This game will be the first of the season with Ryans calling the plays for Houston’s defense after defensive coordinator Matt Burke had been responsible for playcalling. Ryans pointed to communication errors in their first four games as the reason for the change.
If the Texans get into a 0-5 hole, they will virtually be eliminated from the playoffs, especially if the Jaguars move to 4-1.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans HC DeMeco Ryans breaks down Titans ahead of Week 5 matchup
