With the AFC South on the line, the Texans and Titans face each other twice in the final three weeks of the regular season. Both are 8-5 on the season. Squaring off with a divisional opponent is always tough, but doing so in such a short span has its own challenges.
"The advantage is that you know what they're going to do the second time around but that's also a disadvantage because they know what you're going to do," cornerback Bradley Roby said. "The only thing that is going to be a factor is who is the better team and who plays the best ball that day. That's the only thing we're worried about is playing the best ball on Sunday and now take it one week at a time."
The Titans are riding a four-game win streak. Last Sunday they rolled to a 42-21 win at Oakland. Since taking over as the starting quarterback, Ryan Tannehill leads the NFL with a 118.5 passer rating and has helped Tennessee win six of its last seven games.
"I would have no idea," Vrabel said about potential challenges of two meeting in three weeks, via the team's website. "But the challenge is getting ready for them (the Texans) the first time. The second one is not going to mean a whole lot (now). We have to get ready for the first one here."
With two wins, the Texans can clinch the division even if the Titans do the same. Houston currently holds the tiebreaker with a better division record at 3-1. The Titans are 2-2 in the AFC South. If both teams finish with identical records at the end of the season, Houston would win the AFC South. The Texans have an overall 16-18 record against the Titans but have won seven of their 10 meetings under Bill O'Brien.
The Texans travel to Nashville to face the Titans on Sunday at Nissan Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12 noon CT on CBS and SportsRadio 610.
