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It was another kick in the gut for Tennessee Titans in loss to Houston Texans | Estes
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- It was another kick in the gut for Tennessee Titans in loss to Houston Texans | Estes
Rapid reaction from the Tennessee Titans' 16-13 loss to the Houston Texans on Nov. 16 at Nissan Stadium:
Talking Points
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Tough loss, this one. The Titans ' defense, which welcomed star defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons back , played well enough to win for more than 58 minutes. But the final 95 seconds decided the game. After the Titans drove to tie the game with 1:35 remaining, the Texans answered with a game-winning drive to set up Matthew Wright 's 35-yard field goal as time expired. Until that point, it had been a good performance for the defense. The Titans kept the Texans — who had Davis Mills at quarterback in place of an injured C.J. Stroud — off the scoreboard until midway through the third quarter.
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Rookie quarterback Cam Ward , if nothing else, can be clutch when the Titans find themselves in a game in the final moments. To turn what had been a rough performance for the offense, Ward directed an 11-play, 95-yard touchdown drive out of nowhere to tie the game in the final moments. The big throw was a 39-yard gem to Chig Okonkwo on third-and-16. This has been a slow progression for Ward in his first NFL season, but that drive felt like a big moment, even in an eventual defeat.
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But stop me if you've heard this one: The Titans' offense overall didn't play well enough to capitalize on the defense's efforts. The Texans stuffed the run game, thus forcing Ward to win the game down the field with his arm. And Ward, despite some encouraging moments, was unable to pull off such a feat with this offense. The Titans finished with a 315 to 229 deficit in total yards in a game where an adequate showing offensively probably would've led to a victory.
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Penalties were a major hindrance for the offense, which logged four false start penalties before halftime. Right tackle JC Latham ended up being flagged for three false starts, including a key penalty on second-and-2 as the Titans were driving in the final minutes to try to tie the game. Ward was sacked on the next play, putting the Titans into that third-and-16.
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There's poor injury luck. And then there's the cruel misfortune of Titans receiver Calvin Ridley . In his first play back from a hamstring ailment that sidelined him for more than a month, Ridley caught a 13-yard pass and hurt his ankle while being tackled. It didn't look good. He slowly limped to the sideline, putting little weight on his foot, before being carted back to the locker room. Interim coach Mike McCoy announced Ridley is out for the season after the game. Ridley has only 17 catches this season for 303 yards.
Where the game turned
There's good reason why the Texans took edge rusher Will Anderson third overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, and that reason showed up with 13:30 left in the fourth quarter. The Titans, down only 10-6, faced a third-and-10 when Anderson beat left tackle Dan Moore Jr. to sack Ward and force a fumble that he also recovered. It was the game's lone turnover, and it allowed Houston to extend its lead to 13-6 with a 43-yard field goal.
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Key number
5 —Number of possessions in which the Titans' offense went three-and-out.
What I liked
Well, let's see . . .
There was no quit in this Titans defense (or offense, in the end).
Also, the weather was spectacular for this game.
And at least the Titans resisted the Houston Oilers throwback uniforms against the Texans this time. Nothing against those uniforms. They are great. It was just an embarrassing look for the Titans when the current team from Houston — having been singled out by the stunt — came here and beat them anyway.
What I didn't like
The Titans aren't a good team, obviously. But the Texans minus Stroud weren't, either. This could've been a win for the Titans if they had just been able to sustain anything offensively. After an opening 13-play drive resulted in a field goal, the Titans gained only one first down on their next three possessions, setting a tone for most of the game.
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Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and hang out with him on Bluesky @gentryestes.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: It was another kick in the gut for Titans in loss to Texans
