The Houston Texans could be without their starting quarterback again this week. And the Titans have quarterback concerns. It’s an AFC South battle, and here are bold predictions for the Week 11 clash between the Texans and Titans.
These teams met in Week 4, with the Texans earning a 26-0 victory.
The Texans are holding onto hope for an AFC playoff berth with a record of 4-5. However, all five of their losses were close contests. They lost by five to the Rams, one to the Buccaneers, seven to the Jaguars, eight to the Seahawks, and three to the Broncos.
Meanwhile, the Titans come with a mark of 1-8. They were 1-7 at home last season and are 0-4 this year.
Texans RB Woody Marks will not top 90 total yards
Coming off a game where he rushed for 63 yards and caught two passes for 18 more, Marks is primed for a big game against the struggling Titans’ defense.
The Titans rank No. 25 in the NFL, allowing 356.7 yards per game. They also average surrendering 28.6 points a contest, a total exceeded only by the Cowboys and Bengals.
Also, they’ve allowed 141.3 yards rushing per game (No. 26), and the Texans should be able to take advantage with their rookie running back.
However, the Texans seem determined to get Nick Chubb back into the mix, according to CBS Sports.
“You go into a game and you sit there and try to have balance in the variety of ways for all the right reasons,” Caley said. “Sometimes, you get into a rhythm. And he played well. And he was playing well down the stretch.”
So while it appeared the Marks had passed Chubb on the depth chart, Caley added, “It's hard to say how every game's going to go.”
Still, head coach DeMeco Ryans said he liked what he saw from Ryans in the win over the Jaguars, according to Sports Illustrated.
“Woody [Marks], he played fast,” Ryans enthused. “He made plays, especially plays on the perimeter, which is where I’ve seen him shine the most when he can get the ball in space. He did a really nice job of handling the bulk of the carries for us.”
But … he added, “When Chubb came in and got his opportunities, he had some explosive runs. He ran physical,” Ryans declared. “He looked like he had a little extra burst to him. So, it was good, a one-two punch that we were able to use. Those guys did a really good job.”
Titans QB Cam Ward will throw for 200-plus yards
Ward completed only 10 of 26 passes for 108 yards in a truly forgettable performance. So reaching the 200-yard mark would be a bold move.
One thing that will make it tough is avoiding sacks. The Texans have 22 on the season and have the ability to get after the quarterback. Titans quarterbacks have gone to the turf an NFL-leading 38 times. That’s not working for Ward, according to ESPN.
“We've taken too many sacks as an offense,” interim head coach Mike McCoy said. “At times, there's an opportunity to throw balls away when you're outside the pocket. That will come with experience and him understanding it. When do you dirt balls? When is it better to try to get out of a problem instead of just getting the ball out of your hand? There's a number of things that come into play. You obviously want to minimize the yardage you lose.”
Still, Ward is improving and getting the ball out faster.
“I think he's done a really nice job kind of taking the checkdowns,” offensive coordinator Nick Holz said. “Especially against some of these zone defense teams where everybody's running out, and it's like, ‘Hey, let's throw it to Tony Pollard or [Tyjae Spears] or [Chig Okonkwo] in the flat, and they're going to go get me 12 or 14 yards,' and all of a sudden now we're at the 50-yard line.”
And Ward said he knows what to do.
“I've got to get the ball in my playmakers' hands,” Ward said. “Let them make plays for us, and I think that'll have the offense just flowing.”
Texans WR Nico Collins will get 100 yards receiving
Let’s face it. Collins will see the football. Backup QB Davis Mills targeted him 15 times in the Jaguars game. Collins probably won’t see 15 targets this week, but he should see enough volume to rack up yardage.
He’s a good fantasy football play this week, for sure, according to Sports Illustrated.
“Collins has been playing at an uptick over his past two games,” Thomas Carelli wrote. “This is what we have been waiting for. In November, Collins has 14 receptions for 211 yards (2 Games). The Titans are 24th versus wide receivers, and Collins went for 79 yards on them in their prior meeting. Davis Mills is slated to start again this week. And he happened to feed Collins a stunning [six] red zone targets in Week 10.”
Big day coming. It's going to be a nice afternoon for Collins and a rough day for the Titans' secondary.
