The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans faced off in a divisional matchup that no one anticipated would end the way that it did. The Texans have been on an upswing, they sit atop the AFC South and are well on their way to a post-season run. The Titans are in the beginning stages of a rebuild that has been a struggle all season.
The Texans were favored heading into the matchup for good reason, but the Titans decided that they didn’t care about that this week, and with a couple of defensive takeaways, the Titans came away with a 32-27 win.
Here’s a quick look at the studs and duds (and studly duds) from Sunday’s victory:
STUD: RB Tony Pollard
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Titans running back Tony Pollard had his best game of the season against the Texans on Sunday, recording 24 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown. He averaged five yards per carry, scored a touchdown, and added three receptions for 10 more yards. Pollard knew he was essentially on his own today with Tyjae Spears out, and he put this offense on his back, earning him Player of the Game honors this week.
DUD: S Julius Wood
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Julius Wood did not have the best game today. He recorded one total tackle and committed a penalty on a special teams play in the first quarter. Otherwise, he was a nonfactor.
STUD: LB Kenneth Murray Jr.
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images
Linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. was everywhere on the field tonight. On his way to leading the defense with seven tackles (six solo), two tackles for a loss, two passes defensed, and a quarterback hit, Murray managed to disrupt the Texans’ offense at nearly every turn. His energy was palpable, and the rest of the defense fed off of it. Murray played an excellent game against the Texans.
DUD: WR Jha’Quan Jackson
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Jha’Quan Jackson has been a solid special teams performer in his rookie season, but against the Texans in Week 12, he struggled. Not only did he only return two punts for two yards, but he muffed a punt and it was recovered by the Texans for a turnover. It’s not what we normally expect or see from Jackson, but today wasn’t his day.
STUD: CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr.
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In recent weeks, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. has struggled. He’s had penalties he doesn’t normally commit and has seemed fatigued on the field. This week, though, we saw none of that. Brownlee recorded four tackles (three solo), one tackle for a loss, three passes defensed and grabbed his first interception of his NFL career. More of that will go a long way towards the Titans getting wins.
DUD: CB Justin Hardee Sr.
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Justin Hardee Sr. doesn’t see the field a whole lot, but he struggled while he was out there today. He had just one tackle, it was a solo tackle, and he committed a penalty that cost the Titans some yardage. He didn’t bring the team down, per se, but he didn’t really help either.
STUDLY DUD: QB Will Levis
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Will Levis actually had a pretty good game. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw his standard interception and was sacked eight times, though, so there’s still work to be done. Those sacks aren’t all on him, his line doesn’t do him any favors on the right side, but he has to learn how to avoid some of those. Still, this was one of his best showings yet and there is hope in the Titans’ locker room.
More STUDS:
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- WR Calvin Ridley
- TE Chig Okonkwo
- WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
- RB Julius Chestnut
- S Roger McCreary
- S Mike Brown
- LB Harold Landry III
- NT T’Vondre Sweat
- K Nick Folk
More DUDS:
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
- TE Nick Vannett
- RT Nicholas Petit-Frere
- C Daniel Brunskill
- DE James Williams
- LB Luke Gifford
- LB Ali Gaye
