Smith: No Plans to Hold Back Or Look Forward
NASHVILLE – Now is not the time to think ahead. At least that’s what Arthur Smith thinks.
The Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator said Thursday that he would resist the temptation to use Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium as an opportunity to set up things for the rematch two weeks later in Houston. Likewise, he said, he had no plans to hold anything in abeyance in order to maximize their effectiveness in the regular season finale.
“You’ve really got to put the blinders on,” Smith said. “It’s not like an NBA series, when you’re going best-of-seven or something like that. All that matters is this Sunday. It really does because there’s so many things that can happen from this game to the next. If you start doing that then you may set yourself up for failure this week. So, we just try to focus on today and this week.”
Given that the Titans (8-5) and Texans (8-5) are tied for first place in the AFC South with three weeks remaining, both teams have more than enough reason to give their all every time out – especially if it is against one another.
There is also the possibility that the teams could face each other three times in four weeks, if they both make the playoffs and the seedings work out accordingly.
“We’re just trying to take it one week at a time,” cornerback Logan Ryan said. “That’s what we’ve been doing. We have a nice little streak going [six wins in seven games] but that streak isn’t going to help us with Houston. We’ve got to handle Houston. … I just think we’re taking it one week at a time.”
The last time the Titans played one team twice in three weeks was 2015. Then it was Jacksonville and – other than the fact that the home team won each time – the results could not have been more different. The Jaguars started with a 19-13 victory. The Titans claimed the rematch 42-39.
In that case, the first game was on a Thursday night so there ultimately were 18 days between games. The same was true in 2013 (30-27) when the Titans lost to the Colts in Week 13 and again in Week 15 (22-14).
In 2003, Tennessee played Jacksonville twice in three games, but the time in between included the Titans’ byes. Tennessee won both of those, 30-17 at Jacksonville in Week 8 and 10-3 at home in Week 11.
In this case, the two matchups with the Texans will take place in a span of 15 days. As far as the Titans are concerned, though, the next one is the only one that matters.
“I know that we’re going to have to do everything we can to prepare for the players that they have and the scheme that they’re running,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “I try to do that every week.”
