The Houston Texans beat the Tennessee Titans 26-3 at Nissan Stadium, holding Tennessee to a single first-quarter field goal. The Titans never reached the end zone the rest of the afternoon.
Houston won the turnover battle 2-0 and sacked the Titans 4 times. The Texans also controlled the clock, holding the ball for more than 34 minutes against a Tennessee offense that managed about 3 yards a play.
How It Happened
Tennessee struck first when Joey Slye hit a 30-yard field goal at 10:39 of the first quarter. Ka'imi Fairbairn answered with a 45-yarder at 2:22 to tie it.
The second quarter belonged to Fairbairn. He made a 35-yarder early, a 26-yarder at 6:56 and a 53-yarder with 1:15 left, sending Houston to the half up 12-3.
The Texans scored touchdowns on 2 of their 4 red-zone trips.
C.J. Stroud broke through with a 2-yard touchdown run at 6:37 of the third quarter to extend the lead. Early in the fourth, Stroud found Jaylin Noel for a 9-yard score at 14:09, and the rout was set.
Tennessee had no answer. The Titans went 0-for-2 on fourth down and came away empty on their lone red-zone trip.
Key Performers
Kicking: Ka'imi Fairbairn – 4 FG (45, 35, 26, 53), 2 extra points
Scoring: C.J. Stroud – 2-YD rushing TD, 9-YD TD pass
Receiving: Jaylin Noel – 9-YD TD reception
Houston defense: 4 sacks for 40 YDS, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery
Houston passing: 26/34, 250 YDS, 0 INT
Houston rushing: 27 ATT, 79 YDS
Tennessee passing: 23/36, 130 net YDS, 1 INT
Tennessee rushing: 18 ATT, 57 YDS
Fairbairn alone outscored Tennessee by a wide margin, accounting for 14 points. His 53-yarder before the half turned a manageable deficit into a two-score hole.
The Houston pass rush made life hard on Tennessee. Those sacks cost the Titans 40 yards, and they averaged barely 3 yards per pass attempt once the losses were counted.
What It Means
Houston moves to 1-4, and the split is hard to ignore. The Texans are 0-3 at home and 1-1 on the road, so their only win of the season has come away from their own building.
The win was not clean. Houston committed 11 penalties for 95 yards and averaged under 3 yards per carry, problems a better opponent would punish.
Tennessee falls to 0-5, including 0-3 at home. Against Houston, the offense struggled to protect, struggled to run and could not finish drives.