Texans' One-Win Record 'Doesn't Mean Anything,' Says Titans Mike Vrabel
There's no way the Houston Texans can come oh-so-close to an upset for the third straight week ... right?
As the Texans (1-12-1) travel to Nashville to take on their AFC South rival Tennessee Titans (7-7) for a Christmas Eve matchup on Saturday, they do so looking to finally finish the job after nearly beating a pair of potential Super Bowl contenders in the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs in the past two games.
The Texans' chance to finally snag that elusive second win of the season could be in the works considering their recent strong play combined with the four-game slump the Titans are currently in. Tennessee is still leading the division, but Titans coach Mike Vrabel clearly isn't underestimating Houston after the events of the past two weeks.
"They play hard and they compete," Vrabel said. "Should've - had Dallas beat. Had them beat down there on the goal line in a four-minute situation ... Took Kansas City to overtime. So obviously their record doesn't mean anything ... It'll be a huge challenge."
The Titans handed the Texans one of their most embarrassing losses of the season in a 17-10 defeat at NRG on Oct. 30. On paper, the one-score loss didn't seem too lopsided, but Houston didn't manage to find the end zone until a meaningless touchdown with 17 seconds left in the game.
The Titans got just 55 passing yards from rookie quarterback Malik Willis, but star running back Derrick Henry blazed his way to an excellent performance behind 32 carries for 219 yards and two touchdowns.
Willis is set to get the start again with veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill done for the year due to injury. But if the Texans were able to nearly get a win over Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes, a win over the Titans and Willis -- who has struggled as a passer -- is clearly a real possibility.
Stopping Henry remains a different story. But the Texans have proved they're capable of doing the unexpected, something they'll look to continue when the two division rivals kickoff at 12 p.m. CT on Saturday.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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