The Texans were bleeding, and it was about to get much worse.
But then, a sequence of complementary football pulled them closer to the Titans.
Tennessee was driving, and in position to possibly take a 28-20 lead in the middle of the third quarter. But on 2nd-and-8 at the Texans' 14-yard line, linebacker Tyrell Adams blasted Ryan Tannehill, sacking the Titans quarterback for a loss of five yards. Tannehill and Tennessee got 10 yards back on a third down pass, and the field goal unit trotted onto the field.
Justin Reid blocked Stephen Gostkowski's 27-yard field goal attempt, and two boxes out of three on the complementary football checklist were completed in sequence. That left Deshaun Watson and the offense with their chance at the checklist.
Watson and company quickly went to work. He found Darren Fells for an 11-yard completion. David Johnson picked up four more with a run to the right side. Watson went back to Fells on a pitch-and-catch, and the rangy tight end rumbled for a 35-yard completion. At the 29-yard line, Watson went to Kenny Stills in the end zone. Stills was pushed by a Titans defender, and the pass interference call gave the Texans a 1st-and-Goal at the 1-yard line.
Two plays later, Johnson's second carry of the drive was a 1-yard score, and the Texans were down 21-17 after Ka'imi Fairbairn's extra point.
Reid's filed goal block was the second for the Texans at Nissan Stadium in as many games. Last December, Angelo Blackson blocked a field goal attempt in the Texans' win.
