Sportaholic Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans Preview

Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans Preview:

Fresh off their bye week the Titans are up for a big divisional game against hated rival the Houston Texans. This of course is the biggest game of the year so far in the AFC South as the Texans at 3-3 are a game out of first place looking up to the Titans at 3-2. For all those interested this game will give the winner the upper hand for top spot in the division for the rest of the year. The Colts are out of it minus Peyton Manning and as a result are 0-6, Jacksonville has turned to rookie Blaine Gabbert at QB and at 1-5 are out of it as well. So this game pits the two teams that have a chance at taking the South. Both teams are coming off of loses as Tennessee was bombarded and overwhelmed against the Pittsburgh Steelers a couple of weeks ago. Houston has lost its last two games after starting the year 3-0.

The Titans vs. Texans game does have a history of getting ugly as evidenced by the Cortland Finnegan-Andre Johnson fight last year (Unfourunately Johnson is out of the game, so we won’t get a chance for fireworks from those two.). These two teams have been developing bad blood between each other over the last few years as both teams have made some vicious hits and cheap shots at one another. This is a simmering rivalry that most of the country doesn’t know about. Just think about it, the Titans originated in Houston as they are originally the Houston Oilers. Former Oilers owner turned Titans owner Bud Adams moved his team to Nashville in 1999 and that has always given fans from Clutch city a reason to hate the Titans franchise. Another nugget added to this game is the edition of Derrick Mason to the Texans via trade from the New York Jets. Mason was an all time favorite in Nashville during the Steve McNair/Eddie George era and was openly courted to come back during this off season. Titans DL Sen’Derrick Marks has added more fuel to this fire as he called out Houston Eric Winston and Wade Smith for cut blocks he said injured him the last couple of seasons. "I don't like it,'' Marks said. "I don't see that as being a good football player, as being a good offensive lineman." As you can tell this one may get out of hand if the refs don’t stop it.

This is the season that everyone was saying that the Texans would get it right. They have always had the talent but have never been able to get over the hump and make the playoffs. If the Titans defeat the Texans this Sunday they in essence would have a 2 ½ game lead because of division tiebreaker when it comes to the playoffs.

The Texans seem to never able to win the big game. That possible 21/2 game margain make this a mega game of magnitude for the divison. Matt Schaub and Gary Kubiak have been known to get there but can’t pull out the win they wasn’t suppose to.

So all that has been said lets breakdown what will be the key factors in Sunday’s tilt:

1. Can the Titans shut down Arian Foster? Foster in my opinion is what makes the offense go in Houston. The absence of Andre Johnson makes him that much more pivotal in this game. Last week he was limited to 49 yards on 15 carries and of course the Texans lost that game. The last game they won against Pittsburgh he rushed 155 yards as the Texans controlled the line of scrimmage and allowed Matt Schaub to hit open receivers on play action fakes. That’s the difference last year’s leading rusher can make if he is on his game. The Titans must control him for a chance to win this one. That means a big game is needed from LBs Barrett Rudd, Wil Witherspoon, and Akeem Ayers. Houston zone blocking scheme has been well documented and the Titans will need to pay attention to every move Foster makes. If they can contain him, it will make the game much easier.




2. Can the Texans line get pressure on Matt Hasselback without Mario Williams? The Texans had been devouring QBs until the loss of their stud DL/LB Mario Williams went down with a torn pectoral muscle. He provided the Texans with that ever so important edge rusher and no one on that team has been able to replace his presence. Matt Hasselbeck has proved that if you can give him enough time he can get the ball to the right place. Houston LBs Brooks Reid, Brian Cushing and DeMeco Ryans along with that Texans defensive line will have to find a way to get Hasselbeck dirty because he will pick them apart if he has the time.

3.Chris Johnson will either explode or do nothing: Johnson has a history of being either a stud or a dud against Houston. Last year Johnson had a 130 outburst against the Texans in their first meeting in the second meeting he had just 5. He has to get rolling at one point or another so why not against a team that he hits and misses on? I can see CJ doing exactly what his track record says and that means either showing up and showing out or doing nothing. Coach Mike Munchak stated that the Titans emphasized the run game more than anything during the bye so that should bode well for him.

4. How will the Titans respond coming off their bye week? Last season if you can remember back last year, the were 5-3 going into the bye week and then the wheels came completely off. They were 1-7 after the bye and the chaotic turn of events led the dismissal of Jeff Fisher and Vince Young. Now of course Mike Munchak and Matt Hasselbeck are in the respective positions of Fisher and Young so last year shouldn’t have anything to do with this year’s team, but then again most of the guys that were on that 2010 version on still on this team. Will the past rear its ugly head as the Titans begin to start their second half of the season or will they thrive under new leadership?

TEXANS: Dating back to 11/28/10, Hou. has won 3 of past 4 vs. AFC South…In past 5 vs. Titans, QB MATT SCHAUB has completed 133 of 206 passes (64.6 pct.) for 1,449 yards with 11 TDs vs. 1 INT & 101 passer rating. In 3 road games this season, Schaub has completed 64 of 105 passes (61 pct.) for 823 yards with 6 TDs vs. 1 INT & 100.6 passer rating…In past 6 vs. AFC South opponents, RB ARIAN FOSTER is averaging 121.2 rush yards per game (727 total) with 7 rush TDs. Foster aims for 4th straight game with at least 100+ scrimmage yards (166, 184, 101)…WR KEVIN WALTER had 7 catches for 79 yards (11.3 avg.) with TD in last meeting vs. Titans. WR JACOBY JONES had 32-yard TD rec. last week, 1st TD catch of season. WR DERRICK MASON (940) needs 1 catch to surpass HOFer ART MONK for 11th-most rec. all-time…TE OWEN DANIELS has 415 career yards vs. Titans, most vs. any team…Defense is tied for AFC-best with 17 sacks (NYJ, 17)…DE TIM JAMISON had career-high 2 sacks last week…CB JOHNATHAN JOSEPH registered 3rd INT of season last game…S GLOVER QUIN had career-best 3 INTs vs. Titans on 11/28/10…TITANS: Club has 13-9 (.591) record after bye…Titans have 7-2 record at home vs. Texans…Seeks 3rd consecutive win at LP Field this season…At home in 2011, QB MATT HASSELBECK has completed 57 of 78 passes (73.1 pct.) for 669 yards with 3 TDs vs. 1 INT & 106.2 passer rating. Has 90+ passer rating in 4 of 5 games this season…For career, RB CHRIS JOHNSON averages 91.7 rush yards per game against AFC South (1,652 in 18 games). Johnson (5,972) needs 28 scrimmage yards to reach 6,000 career. Has rushed for 100+ yards in 3 of past 4 games vs. Hou. (197, 151, 130). Averages 5.9 rush yards per carry vs. Texans…WR NATE WASHINGTON had TD catch in last game against Texans. WR DAMIAN WILLIAMS aims for 3rd consecutive game with TD reception…TE JARED COOK is averaging 18.9 yards per catch this season (11 rec., 208 rec. yards)…CB JASON MC COURTY leads team in tackles (39) & INTs (2) in 2011. CB CORTLAND FINNEGAN registered 1st INT of season last game. Finnegan had 99-yard INT-return TD vs. Texans on 9/21/08.

Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings Week 12

The playoff push begins now for the teams with those Super Bowl aspirations. No team is up more than one game on the second place team in every division. This year is shaping to be playoff race like we have never seen. It’s crunch time for teams on the brink like the New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, and the Washington Redskins. The window is closing so these teams need to get hot and stay consistent if they want in on the playoffs this year. There are a few more teams in contention with San Diego, Tampa Bay, and Oakland all in the mix in their respective divisions. Each week from here on out will be like a survivor episode as every lost will cast a team out the playoff picture. As the tension mounts and the drama unfolds, no team in contention can afford to lose and it going to make for an interesting next two months for football fans.




Now to unveil the rankings:

1. New England Patriots (9-2) – You didn’t really think they would lose to the Lions, did you? The Pats outscored lowly Detroit 35-7 in the second half as Tom Brady and co. got it rolling and continued to burn Detroit’s secondary, primarily Alphonso Smith. Brady looks in-sync with his receiver and put on a clinic in the second half of the game and he would finish a surgeon like 21/27 for 341 yards and 4 touchdowns. The man had a perfect QB rating of 158.3 for crying out loud. The subtraction of Randy Moss is proving to be an addition to the offense. You can longer key on one guy in their offense. The days of Wes Welker underneath and Randy Moss over the top are over and that entire side of the ball is reaping the benefits. The only thing that scares me with this team is the defense. They are a bend but don’t break unit but their will come a time when Tom terrific can’t bail them out. They should tested early and often next game against their arch rivals.

2. New York Jets (9-2) – No cardiac comeback this week as the Jets handled the Bengals easily. Brad Smith did all the dirty work as he accounted 200 total yards. Smith, done it in a variety of ways as he had three carries for 55 yards, one catch for 23 yards and an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He brings a do-it-all mentality to the offense for New York. I’m interested in the growth of Mark Sanchez most importantly though. For the Jets to go all the way, the second year pro from Southern Cal has to keep his mistakes at a minimum. The Int he threw to Rey Maualuga was especially troubling. And speaking of trouble, I know I wasn’t the only looking for some good trash talk from T.O and Darrelle Revis after both took jabs at each other last week but no dice in that department. As it stands, my top two teams face off next week on Monday night, so that will surely affect the rankings.

3. Atlanta Falcons (9-2) – This is the team no one pays attention to and all they do is continue to win. Matt Ryan is now 19-1 as a starter at home and has the Falcons holding the inside track to home-field advantage in the playoffs. This guy is just a winner and his numbers don’t do justice to what he means to that team. It doesn’t hurt that he has “Rowdy” Roddy White on the outside and Michael “Burner” Turner to hand the ball off to as well. Ryan just picked apart Green Bay’s vaunted defense as he hit his first 14 passes and finished 24 of 28. Atl will keep winning and no one outside of the 404 will care until the playoffs. See you in January Matty Ice.

4. Chicago Bear (8-3) – I have been reluctant all year to trust these Bears, but they proved it to me on last Sunday, that they can be a force. Any team with Jay Cutler as your QB is always going to be up and down because his play. He can be the hero and the goat on consecutive plays, that just how he rolls. Mike Martz and Lovie Smith finally have realized that and now feature the run more and for Bears fans that should make you happy. The defense is stacked with Peppers, Urlacher, and Briggs bringing it every game. They proved there worth as they were able to stop Michael Vick. They have a game up on Green Bay and with a game left against them we will find out what the Bears are really about. I just don’t trust Cutler though

5. New Orleans Saints (8-3) Welcome to the rankings Saints. As my New Orleans friend says, it looks like the Mojo is working again in Louisiana. The Saints have been struggling to find their consistency on offense but they have finally broken through. Drew Brees just assaulted the Cowboys defense (Who isn’t these days?) to the tune of 352 yards and a touchdown. The defense has been waiting for the offense to catch up and it appears it finally has.

Other league news and notes:

Josh McDaniels and Spygate II – It seems that McDaniels is losing his grip as the coach of the Broncos. Denver is 5-16 in their last 21 games under the embattled coach and this latest incident doesn’t make anything better. It was reported that Steve Scarnecchia, the video man for the Broncos, video tapped the 49ners walk thru and did so unknowingly from McDaniels. McDaniels went on to compare this to the original spygate in New England and also proceeded to trash the Pats in the process. As it is, he and the Broncos were fined $50,000 a piece. The only cure for this type of thing is to win and McDaniels team couldn’t even do that as they lost to St. Louis. If the team doesn’t make drastic improvements by the end of the season, McDaniels could be gone.

Andre Johnson vs. Cortland Finnegan – Doesn’t it seem like Finnegan is the crazy guy who is getting beat-up but keeps asking for more? He was clearly the instigator in the fight but now makes it seem as if Johnson should have never took swings at him. Johnson very well didn’t have to take it to that extreme that he did but everyone at one point of their life has lost their cool because of someone else. And the $25,000 that both were fined is just a slap on the wrist. Its crazy because neither player showed restraint and everyone in the league knows what Finnegan is about. He will do any and everything to get under your skin to gain the advantage. You just have to be prepared for that or you can just punch him like Johnson did. Get ready for round two in Nashville on Dec 19, that should be a fun rematch.

Leslie to the rescue: Didn’t the Vikings look lose and carefree Sunday? When you’re not worrying about your coach getting fired it makes everything a little easier as the Vikes proved. Brett Favre was running like he had his wranglers on and Minnesota beat the Skins. Frazier brings a calm that Brad Childress lost during his tenure. The players are familiar with him since he has been on the staff since Childress was there. They played harder as a result and if Zygi Wilf had made this move earlier they might have been going to the playoffs.

Best game next weekend: It has to be the Monday night game with the Pats and Jets going at it. These teams hate each other and would rather sit in gasoline with a match than to see the other win. They are both 9-2 and fighting for the division lead. Rex Ryan will do and say what ever it takes to motivate his team. The hoodie won’t do it in public like Ryan but believe you me, when he behind closed doors with his team, he is wearing out the Jets. This one will be hyped relentlessly by the media so get ready for it but at least it should result in a good game.