Since a defensive slugfest back in 2008 that saw the Texans claw their way to a 13-12 win over a Titans team that would eventually have their best record in the last two decades, the Texans have held the advantage in the series 16-11.
Three of Tennessee's wins in that span came on the final day of the regular season when the playoff-bound Texans didn't 'need' the victory.
Tennessee is going for a three-peat in the AFC South, a division they have controlled lately with a great running game and excellent coaching.
The Texans split with this squad last year. The win came in Nashville in a scrappy Houston performance that snapped the Titans' six game losing streak. The last five 'meaningful' games in the series were all one score affairs, including the season finale in '21 that saw Houston roar back from a 21-0 halftime deficit to cut the lead and final margin to three.
Had the Texans been able to get the ball back one more time, things might have turned out differently that day. Davis Mills threw for 301 yards and three TDs, so there's that.
By now you're wondering what my favorite game has been in this series. I thought you'd never ask.
It has to be the Monday Nighter in 2018, just three days after the passing of Bob McNair. Lamar Miller's 97-yard touchdown run highlighted the emotional game. An unforgettable night!
Another is the one I mentioned above. That Tennessee team went 13-3. The next year, the Texans would outlast the Titans in a 34-31 shoot-out in Nashville that saw a bit of a dust-up in the Texans bench area.
There's also the Andre Johnson v. Courtland Finnegan confrontation game in '10 at NRG. And let's not forget the first time the Texans beat the Titans – it was a 20-10 win in Nashville in 2004 against a Tennessee team led by the late Steve McNair.
It's a division match up against the franchise that used to call Houston home. These are always memorable, often extremely close and we can't wait for the next chapter.
