Who needs this win more?
Better yet, which team can afford to lose a game?
With how this Houston Texans team looks and given that no team has started off the season 0-5 and still made the playoffs, the easy answer is that with a loss against the Tennessee Titans, Houston's season is over.
The Texans look to move to 1-4 and avoid a 0-5 start for the first time in franchise history with a win over the Tennessee Titans on the road. This should be possible, especially given that Houston hasn't lost at Nissan Stadium since the 2020 season.
Behind a career-high 17 catches, CeeDee Lamb found his way into the end zone for a 22-yard game-sealing touchdown with 34 seconds left as the Dallas Cowboys overcame a 10-point deficit to secure a 34-30 win at Reliant
Stadium against the Texans on Sunday afternoon.
Most weeks, 30 points would seem like enough to win a football game. Initially, as the offense took a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter, it did seem like plenty.
C.J. Stroud once again delivered a performance to be proud of, throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns. With the return of Nico Collins, there was life in the passing game, as the Pro Bowl receiver finished with seven receptions for 118 yards, making up for lost time after missing two games with a hamstring injury.
Even after the Cowboys took the lead, Houston responded. Stroud found Jaylin Noel and Xaiver Hutchinson for big-time games, setting Houston up outside the red zone. On third down, tight end Dalton Schultz lateralled a pass to David Montgomery, who turned upfield for a gain of 16 and a first down.
Dak Prescott, who was held in check for most of the first half, threw for 335 yards, setting up three different scoring drives for running back Javontae Williams. His lone touchdown pass came with 34 seconds remaining, connecting with Lamb to build a four-point lead.
At that point, Houston had a last-chance heave at the end zone from midfield, but Stroud’s desperation pass fell incomplete right at the top of the hands of tight end Dalton Schultz.
With Week 5 here, let's look at how both AFC South cellar-dwellers stack up among all 32 NFL teams entering the regular season.
Scoring Offense
Texans: 21.0 PPG (20th)
Titans: 13.8 PPG (31st)
Rushing Offense
Texans: 79.0 YPG (30th)
Titans: 89.0 YPG (26th)
Passing Offense
Texans: 264.8 YPG (6th)
Titans: 172.3 YPG (T-28th)
Total Offense
Texans: 343.8 YPG (14th)
Titans: 261.3 YPG (32nd)
3rd Down Conversions
Texans: 35.2% (21st)
Titans: 35.4% (20th)
Red zone scoring
Texans: 57.1% (21st)
Cowboys: 50.0% (23rd)
Sacks allowed
Texans: 12 (T-4th)
Titans: 6 (T-24th)
Penalties
Texans: 73.3 penalty YPG (10th)
Titans: 41.3 penalty YPG (30th)
Turnovers
Texans: 2 (T-30th)
Titans: 5 (20th)
Scoring Defense
Texans: 27.3 PPG (26th)
Titans: 19.8 PPG (9th)
Passing Defense
Texans: 260.0 YPG (28th)
Titans: 209.8 YPG (13th)
Rushing Defense
Texans: 85.7 YPG (5th)
Titans: 122.8 YPG (24th)
Total Defense
Texans: 343.8 YPG (21st)
Titans: 332.5 YPG (15th)
Opponents 3rd down conversions
Texans: 37.7% (16th)
Titans: 35.9% (9th)
Opponets Red zone scoring
Texans: 63.6% (718th)
Titans: 100.0% (27th)
Sacks
Texans: 14 (T-3rd)
Titans: 7 (T-21st)
Takeaways
Texans: 3 (T-22nd)
Titans: 2 (32nd)
Turnover Margin
Texans: +1 (T-12th)
Titans: -2 (T-24th)
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Statistical Breakdown: How Texans and Titans stack up before Week 5
