4 winners & 2 losers from Houston Texans cathartic win over Titans in Week 18

The Houston Texans improved to 10-7 with a win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

It was a measure of revenge following a frustrating loss earlier in the season. They also handed them a loss while the Titans were sporting their throwback Oilers jerseys, which felt good — even J.J. Watt had fun with that.

Now as the Texans look forward to the playoffs, we take a minute to identify four winners and two losers from their Week 18 finale.

Winner: Dameon Pierce, RB

Joe Mixon crossed the 1,000-yard mark on the opening drive, then sat out to rest before the playoffs. Dameon Pierce, who hasn't gotten many snaps this season, took over and quickly made his presence known. Early in the second quarter, Pierce broke free for a 92-yard touchdown run.

Pierce went off from there with 176 yards on 19 attempts. He proved that he can handle the load if they ever need to give Joe Mixon a breather.

Loser: Robert Woods, WR

With a 13-0 lead, it was all Houston in the first half. They were driving to add to that lead when Davis Mills found Robert Woods for a 23 yard gain to the Tennessee 31. While being tackled by Daryl Worley, Woods lost the football and it was recovered by the Titans.

Winner: Derek Barnett, DE

With Will Anderson sitting out, Derek Barnett got the start and made the most of it. He recorded a 10-yard loss on a reverse to Calvin Ridley, helping to force an early three-and-out. He later had a sack on Will Levis in the second quarter but his best play came early in the fourth.

Houston was up 16-6 when Barnett recovered a fumble and ran it back 36 yards for a touchdown.

That was the second time this season Barnett scored a touchdown on a fumble return. He also had one against the Dallas Cowboys after recording a sack on Cooper Rush.

Loser: Kai'imi Fairbairn, K

Kai'imi Fairbairn is a great kicker and there's no cause for alarm but this was not his best season. He missed six field goals on the year, including a costly one in Week 12 against Tennessee. He made his lone field goal attempt from 27 yards out in this one but missed an extra point, which was the second this year. It didn't cost them but he can't afford to miss easy ones in the postseason.

Winner: Nico Collins, WR

Nico Collins missed five games due to a hamstring injury but still topped 1,000 yards on the season. Needing 32 to get there, Collins caught five passes for 38 yards with a touchdown. He didn't play beyond the first quarter but still proved he's a legit WR1 in this league.

Winner: C.J Stroud, QB

The Texans needed to see C.J. Stroud play well and he needed just one series for that to happen. The second-year quarterback went 6-of-6 for 50 yards, capping off the opening drive with a two-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins.

He was pulled in favor of Davis Mills after that pass, which was the right call. Stroud has the talent to take this team as far as they want to go and DeMeco Ryans made sure he heads into the postseason on a high note.

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