Titan Up/Titan Down: Winners & Losers From Titans Week 15 Loss to Houston Texans
The Tennessee Titans 19-16 loss to the Houston Texans was most costly than any normal defeat. Not only did it eliminate them from playoff contention, but the coaching staff was embarrassed and their rookie quarterback left on a cart with an injury. It was a nightmare performance.
With that will come many "Titan Downs," but there up some winners from Sunday's disaster, even if that is hard to believe. Let's dive into a Week 15 Titan Up, Titan Down.
Titan Down
Derrick Henry
Everyone knew this could be Henry's final season with the Titans coming into the year. The eventual departure of the Titans' star running back is becoming more possible by the day and closer by the second. Sunday's game felt like a funeral.
Henry had 20 touches for 10 total yards. While the blocking was clearly subpar, you could see Henry's lack of bust and indecisiveness as well. Henry admitted after the game he has thought about these last three games being the end in Nashville. He has reason to reminisce.
Tim Kelly, but really Mike Vrabel
It's been three season and now two offensive coordinators, but the Titans' offense is broken and it doesn't appear Mike Vrabel has the ability to get it back on track. Regardless of players or who is coaching that side of the ball, the common denominator in the failures is Vrabel.
Whether he allowed or it didn't recognize it(which is hard to believe), the first-down play calling was atrocious and he is to blame. Watching the Titans run 19 times out of 24 first-down plays was hard to believe. It's harder to believe Mike Vrabel was on board with it.
Maybe it shouldn't be?
Will Levis
Levis played one of his worst games as a Titan on Sunday outside of the opening drive that led to a touchdown, but that isn't why he is on the list. The real reason is the injury he suffered coming out of the game, an ankle issue that could end his season.
Levis has shown not only enough to warrant building around, but incredible toughness. He has been battered and bruised behind an awful offensive line, leading to what felt like an inevitable injury. For Levis' sake, he should hope he doesn't see the field again until this offensive line is repaired in the offseason.
Titan Up
Teair Tart
In a surprise move on Saturday, the Titans waived starting defensive lineman Teair Tart. tart was a starter for the last three years after joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2020, but Tart had been been at odds with the Titans all season after not getting the contract he wanted prior to the year.
Tart was known for his run-stuffing prowess and boy did the Titans need it on Sunday. They were gashed by the Texans for 148 rushing yards, mostly in between the tackles where Tart would live. Not only that, but Tart was claimed by the Texans on Monday to aid in their playoff push and get revenge on the Titans in Week 17.
Roger McCreary
This Titans defense has not lived up to the hype from the preseason. Most players have fallen short of expectations, especially in the secondary. One player who has exceeded them though, has been slot corner Roger McCreary.
McCreary had some struggles early in the season when forced to play outside, but when allowed to play in the slot as he should, he has shined. The second-year corner had seven tackles, one for loss, a pass breakup and had the second-best graded of the game on defense per Pro Football focus.
Treylon Burks
Hey, there weren't a lot of chance to give out "Titan Ups", okay. Burks at least made an impact for once. Burks caught a huge 37-yarder on the opening drive and added two more catches for 25 more yards. Burks should have had a long touchdown on the Levis' interception as well as he was streaking deep wide open only to be missed.
Burks has had a terrible year and there is reason to be concerned about him living up to his potential going forward, but he did his job in Week 15 and looked a lot more comfortable than he has in previous weeks.
Related stories on Titans-Texans
- LEVIS INJURY UPDATE: The Tennessee Titans' loss to the Houston Texans stung a bit more watching rookie quarterback Will Levis get injured and according to head coach Mike Vrabel, the injury is similar to Tannehill's ankle injury. CLICK HERE
- TITANS LOSE IN OT: The Tennessee Titans lost at home in overtime again, falling to the Houston Texans 19-16 despite having an early 13-point lead. They struggled offensively after their opening scoring drive and fell to 5-9, getting eliminated from the postseason. CLICK HERE
- WATCH LEVIS INTERCEPTION: The Tennessee Titans came out of halftime looking to extend their lead, but instead we saw Will Levis throw a terrible interception along the sideline to give the ball back to the Texans. CLICK HERE
- WATCH MOLDEN PICK SIX: The Tennessee Titans have taken a two-score lead over the Houston Texans after defensive back Elijah Molden intercepted a pass and took it 45 yards to paydirt. CLICK HERE
- WATCH BURKS BIG PLAY: The Tennessee Titans are off to a great start in their game against the Houston Texans. Will Levis threw a deep strike to Treylon Burks for a 39-yard gain which set up a touchdown. CLICK HERE
- WATCH AUTRY SACK: The Tennessee Titans have gotten an excellent year from Denico Autry and we saw the veteran set a career mark in sacks, picking up his 10th of the year in the 4th quarter against the Houston Texans. CLICK HERE
