The second matchup with the Tennessee Titans commences at 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday afternoon. Your ticket will say noon kickoff, but with the AFC playoff opportunities at hand for Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Oakland, the NFL moved this game to create some drama in that afternoon viewing window. DON'T FORGET - 3:25 p.m. ON SUNDAY! Here are a few nuggets to digest before the Titans come to town.
Ryan Tannehill, former Texas A&M quarterback, will start in the building where his alma mater takes the field for the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl less than 48 hours prior. The last time that Texas A&M played Oklahoma State, the Aggies starting quarterback was... Ryan Tannehill.
The Titans haven't won in Houston since Week 17 of the 2011 season when the Texans rested numerous players heading into their inaugural playoff game against the Bengals. In that 2011 finale, the Texans lost 23-22 after failing on a two-point conversion that would've given them the improbable win. Longtime Carolina Panther veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme played in one game for the Texans and it was that one against the Titans. He played well, throwing for 211 yards and a touchdown that would've tied it.
In the last two games against the Titans, the Texans have run for 281 yards (Week 12, 2018) and 140 yards (Week 15, 2019). In those games, the Texans had a 100-yard rusher in each - Lamar Miller in 2018 and Carlos Hyde a couple of weeks ago.
The Texans have never played the Titans twice in a three weeks span.
Deshaun Watson has thrown 26 touchdown passes in 2019, while DeAndre Hopkins has thrown one for a total of 27. The team record for touchdown passes in a season is 29, set in 2009. Matt Schaub accounted for all touchdown passes that season and that individual mark could still stand. However, three Texans touchdown passes on Sunday will set a new team record.
Hyde will finish the season on Sunday with his first 1,000-yard rushing season and the first since Lamar Miller ran for 1,073 in 2016. Hyde will join Miller, Arian Foster, Steve Slaton and Dominick Williams as the only 1,000-yard rushers in the history of the organization. Miller did it once in 2016 while Foster did it four times in his career. Slaton did it as a rookie in 2008 and Williams did it twice in his first two years in the league. As such, Hyde's 1,000-yard season is the ninth such season in team history.
In contrast, the 1,000-yard receiving season has been dominated by two men - Andre Johnson and Hopkins. No other Texan has hit 1,000 yards receiving in the history of the organization. In 2019, Hop hit that mark again with 1,165 yards heading into the finale. That's the fifth time that he's hit that 1,000-yard plateau in his seven-year career. Johnson reached that mark seven times in 12 years in Houston and two other seasons finished just short at 936 yards (2014) and 976 yards (2003).
With Hop and Hyde both at 1,000 yards, it's the sixth time in Texans history that the offense has a 1,000-yard receiver and 1,000-yard rusher. The other years were 2014 (Hop and Foster), 2012 (Johnson and Foster), 2010 (Johnson and Foster), 2008 (Johnson and Slaton) 2004 (Johnson and Williams).
The Texans clinched the AFC South division championship last week in Tampa, giving the Texans four titles in the last five seasons and six in the last nine years. Only two other teams in the NFL can match the Texans for titles in the last five years - New England (five in the last five) and Kansas City (four in the last five). Furthermore, only the Patriots (nine) have more titles in that full time span while the Packers have as many as the Texans (six) over that time.
As a side note, no NFC East team has repeated as division champ since Andy Reid led the Eagles to consecutive championships in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Okay, that'll do it for this week. Next week it's playoff week, everyone! See ya, then.
