Houston Texans vs Tennessee Titans Matchup Preview (11/21/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Houston Texans vs Tennessee Titans Matchup Preview (11/21/21)

As the best team in the AFC prepares to face off against the worst team in the AFC — record wise, at least — it’s easy to dismiss this game as a foregone conclusion. Though there’s a decent shot that this one does in fact turn into a blowout, there’s an equally decent chance that this one is a trap for the Titans. For starters, the Texans will have QB Tyrod Taylor starting in consecutive weeks for the first time since week 2. His return adds an element of juice to an offense that’s been dreadful since Davis Mills took over. Though his return doesn’t make this team a Super Bowl contender, we can’t forget that they were 1-0 with a lead on the Browns when he went down earlier this season.

To add to the intrigue, this Titans team has a habit of playing down to their competition with a loss to the Jets and a close overtime victory over the Seahawks. Without Derrick Henry, they’ve struggled to restore any sort of rushing attack and have become increasingly dependent on timely turnovers to sustain their offense. Will the Titans move closer to locking up the division, or will Tyrod Taylor remind us all that he’s more than just a transitory quarterback? Find out this weekend at 1:00 PM ET in the Music City.

Houston Texans vs Tennessee Titans Betting Odds

Betting Trends

Texans are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall
Texans are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games after scoring less than 15 points in their previous game
Texans are 4-9 ATS vs. a team with a winning record
Titans are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall
Titans are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing more than 250 yards passing in their previous game
Titans are 5-2 ATS vs. a team with a losing record

The Pick

I like Tennessee to win and Houston to cover. I think another week of Tyrod Taylor taking first team reps at practice is a big deal as is having another week of film on a Derrick Henry-less Tennessee offense. Be that as it may, the Texans still have the second worst rushing defense in the NFL, and no team runs the ball more than the Titans. The Titans have the clear coaching advantage, and a defense that’s been good at getting off the field on third down. These divisional games are often closer than common sense would suggest, so I do expect the Texans to hang in there early. Ultimately, however, I think the Titans will win the line of scrimmage and squeak this one out.

My Prediction: Titans win 26-23, Texans cover (+10.5) and the over hits (o44.5)

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, November 21
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Location: Nissan Stadium – Nashville, TN
TV Coverage: CBS

Houston Texans vs Tennessee Titans Live Stream

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Injuries

Houston Texans: OT Laremy Tunsil (Thumb) O, OL Marcus Cannon (back) O, OLB Chrisitian Kirksey (Thumb) O
Tennessee Titans: RB Derrick Henry (Foot) O, WR Julio Jones (Hamstring) O, ILB Rashaan Evans (Ankle) O, RB Khari Basingame (Knee) O, DB Caleb Farley (Knee(ACL)) O, TE Kano Dillon (Undisclosed) Q

Houston Texans Analysis

Tyrod Taylor always gets a bad rap for being one of the most average, injury prone guys in the league. While he does get injured more than most, his track record as a quarterback speaks for itself — the guy is above .500 as a starter in the NFL. This year, he’s 1-2 as a starter and who knows what would have happened had he stayed healthy against Cleveland. At the very least, he’s a huge upgrade over Davis Mills going up against a Tennessee defense that’s good not great.

The problems for this Houston team are well documented and don’t need to be overly belabored. Yes, they lack speed on the perimeter and have one of the worst offensive lines in football. Yes, they have the second worst run stopping defense and the third worst overall defense. This team certainly isn’t going to the playoffs this year and likely won’t be in contention next year either. For one weekend, though, they could pose a serious threat to a division rival who’s hobbled at their most utilized position 

Don’t forget — Houston has the second oldest roster in the NFL. Despite being in a rebuild, there are a lot of veterans on this team that have experience winning games.

Houston Texans Depth Chart

QB: Tyrod Taylor
RB1: David Johnson
RB2: Rex Burkhead
RB3: Phillip Lindsay
WR1: Nico Collins
WR2: Danny Amendola
WR3: Brandin Cooks
TE1: Jordan Akins

Tennessee Titans Analysis

How the Titans have managed to pull out two straight wins against good teams without Derrick Henry or Julio Jones is a testament to Mike Vrabel as a coach. On a statistical level, there’s very little that suggests this Titans team is as good as their record indicates, though this in and of itself may be one of the reasons they’re so good — either that or Derrick Henry has absolutely carried them.

Since King Henry got hurt on Halloween, this team has regressed significantly in the running game, averaging just 2.65 yards a carry. Their signing of Adrian Pederson just two weeks ago proves an admission of scarcity at the position, though his production numbers have not been close to Henry’s so far (and whose would be?). The underlying problem here, though, is that analytics are beginning to suggest that the Titans success in the running game was much more a product of Henry than the offensive line. How valid this assessment is remains to be seen, however, as the Titans go from playing the league’s best running stopping defense in New Orleans to one of the league’s worst in Houston. 

Starting QB Ryan Tannehill, meanwhile, has the 11th highest completion percentage among starting quarterbacks, though the Titans are 21st overall in pass attempts. If D’Onta Foreman and Adrian Pederson continue to struggle on Sunday, Tannehill may very well set a season high in passing attempts, though odds are the Titans will have their way against the Texans defensive front.

Tennessee Titans Depth Chart

QB: Ryan Tannehill
RB1: Adrian Peterson
RB2: Jeremy McNichols
RB3: D’Onta Foreman
WR1: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
WR2: Chester Rogers
WR3: AJ Brown
TE1: Geoff Swaim

Houston Texans vs Tennessee Titans Daily Fantasy Picks

Though it’s been tough sledding so far for the Titans at running back since Derrick Henry went down, Sunday proves to be a great matchup for them to get right at the position. The Texans defense allows over 1.5 rushing touchdowns and 136 rushing yards a game. Behind an offensive line that has a clear advantage in the trenches, watch for Titans RB D’Onta Foreman to get a lot of carries as he goes up against his former team.