The Titans had an opportunity to go up 2-0 in the division and embark on a winnable stretch of games. Marcus Mariota was coming off a signature win over the Seattle Seahawks and the Titans were all of a sudden a contender again. That all changed when Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans decided to run over the Titans at every turn. They also lost Marcus Mariota and it is unclear how long they will be without their star quarterback. For now, the Texans are once again the best team in the South and Watson has emerged as a real threat in the division.
The Texans defense did a great job in getting to Mariota early. They picked off Mariota during the third play of the game. They would pick him off again the following drive. He only had 96 yards on the day and while he did have two rushing touchdowns the Texans locked him down. Deshaun Watson found every single hole on the Titans defense and threw four touchdowns and even rushed for one. Watson was the first rookie do to this since Fran Tarkenton in 1961. The Titans running game couldn’t get going with Murray and Henry combining for 48 yards.
Lamar Miller, on the other hand, had no problem and exploded for a 75-yard touchdown. Rookie D’Onta Foreman also had 45 yards on the day. The Texans exploded for 57 points while Mariota’s two touchdowns were the only scoring by Tennessee. The Titans have a chance to rebound against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. If they have to roll with Matt Cassel, recovery may not be in the cards. For the Texans, they face a brutal test against the Chiefs. If Watson can continue his upward trajectory, the Titans may not get back in the AFC South driver’s seat.