Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans

Houston Texans -4.0

Over/Under 41.5

  • The Texans are looking to win a franchise-record eighth consecutive game after starting the season 0-3. One of those three losses came in Week 2 at the hands of the Titans, 20-17. Blaine Gabbert started that game for the Titans, so this will be their first shot at Marcus Mariota this season.

  • Mariota completed 10 of 13 passes for 85 yards and an interception in Week 11 before leaving the game with a hand injury. It was a decided step backwards after Mariota and the Tennessee offense looked like a well-oiled machine against the Patriots in Week 10.

  • Mariota’s return this week should bode well for Corey Davis and Dion Lewis , who both struggled to get anything going with Blaine Gabbert under center.

  • Lewis is averaging 2.9 yards per carry over the last three games, and he has been used sparingly in the passing game, with just three receptions over his last two games.

  • Corey Davis has topped 65 receiving yards and scored a touchdown just twice this season. Both of those happened to be in the same game.  Davis’s numbers have been a good barometer for the overall health of Tennessee’s offense this season.

  • Houston comes into this game looking to get anything from wide receiver Demaryius Thomas , who they traded for at the deadline. Thomas was held without a single target last week at Washington.

  • Most of the work opposite DeAndre Hopkins went to Keke Coutee in that game. Playing for the first time in nearly a month, Coutee caught five of nine targets for 77 yards in Week 11.

  • Houston has done a better job of protecting Deshaun Watson of late, as they are down to 10th in the NFL with 33 sacks allowed. Watson should have plenty of time to thrown in this game, as Tennessee ranks 24th in sacks this season.

  • The Titans are dead last in the NFL in pass attempts with 280, while Houston ranks 30th with 310. In fact, Tennessee has more rushing attempts (289) than passing attempts. Houston is close, with 305 rushing attempts.

  • It certainly feels like Deshaun Watson is running the ball less than he did in his breakout rookie season, but he is averaging 5.3 attempts per game, up from 5.14 in 2017. The difference is his explosiveness. Watson averaged 7.5 yards per carry last season, with a long of 49 yards. This season, he is averaging 5.2 yards per carry with a long of 18 yards.

  • DeAndre Hopkins has flown under the radar a bit this season, but he is on pace to flirt with his career-high 13 touchdowns from 2017. Hopkins has eight touchdowns in 10 games this season, including six in his last five games. Surprisingly enough, Hopkins has topped 85 receiving yards just once in those five games.

  • Hopkins was a limited participant in practice this week, but he enters the game without an injury designation.

  • Derrick Henry has not reached 60 rushing yards in a single game this season, though he does have four rushing touchdowns in his last four games. Henry topped 60 rushing yards in three separate games last season.