The Houston Texans are facing their division rivals, the Tennessee Titans this week. Houston, coming off of a dominating win against the Dallas Cowboys, will have another easy matchup as second-year quarterback Will Levis hasn’t had the season many expected. It seemed like the Titans were headed for an overhaul when they brought in a new head coach and let their two offensive leaders, Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry walk in free agency. However, that wasn’t the case, and their new additions haven’t been producing yet.
Despite that, there’s still questions and concerns for Houston, and talented playmakers that Houston has to worry about. So, let’s take a look at several big questions the Texans are faced with in Week 12.
Will their run defense be able to contain Tony Pollard?
It seems like nobody has been able to stop Tony Pollard as the season goes on. Rushing for 681 yards and three touchdowns on the season, Pollard is showing the Dallas Cowboys why they should have retained him. The Titans’ rushing offense ranks 18th in the league, according to Fox Sports. And despite that ranking, they look like one of the better rushing units on film. With Will Levis seemingly becoming a non-factor, the Texans should shift more of their focus into stopping this rushing attack.
How will they match up with injuries to the defense?
The injury report hasn’t been pretty for the Texans over recent weeks, however, it looks much better this week. With that being said, defensive linemen Denico Autry and Foley Fatukasi missed practice on Wednesday. Alongside linebacker Azeez Al-Shaiir, who has six tackles for loss, was listed as a limited participant.
If the Texans can get Will Anderson and Al-Shaiir back from injury this week, Will Levis will have another nightmare outing. Houston is sitting at 7-4 and fourth in the AFC. A win this week would help as they try to jump above the Pittsburgh Steelers for third place in the conference.
Can the offense build on an impressive Week 11 outing?
The offense, specifically play caller Bobby Slowik has been receiving plenty of criticism over the course of the season. My personal opinion is it’s undeserved, and a lot of their issues are due to injuries.
Missing two wide receivers, two running backs, and issues with their offensive line really hinders play calling. Now, The offense is as healthy as it will possibly get, and a week after Joe Mixon ran for three touchdowns, there’s a lot for this unit to build on. The Titans' defense has been getting slashed all season, and that should continue to be the case this week.