It's a good thing that the NFL standings don't take style points into consideration, because if they did, neither the Houston Texans or Tennessee Titans would benefit much from today's game in Nashville. In the end, it was the Texans who emerged with an ugly 16-13 win, clawing their way to .500 for the first time all season while their AFC South rival drops to 1-9 on the year.
Unlike last week, when Houston's comeback win over the Jacksonville Jaguars featured all of the fireworks and excitement of your favorite summer blockbuster, this game was equivalent to a slow-moving Indie drama that reaches its climax and makes audiences wonder, 'Wait, that's it?'
There was nothing about this game that screamed Summer Blockbuster. The Texans' leading man, starting quarterback CJ Stroud, was sidelined for the second straight week. There was very little that was exciting about this game. The two teams combined for just two touchdowns, the longest play from scrimmage was a 39 yard pass to Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo, and neither team was able to crack 5 yards per play.
But in the end, thanks to the right leg of backup kicker Matthew Wright -- making his second consecutive start for the injured Ka'imi Fairbairn -- who kicked three field goals including the game-winner as time expired, the Texans kept their postseason hopes alive, and in the end, that's truly all that matters.
Following Houston's comeback victory against the Jaguars last week, I listed by name all of the many Texans who deserved to be shouted out for their contributions in the win. This time around, that list isn't nearly as long.
Shout out to Davis Mills, who did just enough to lead the Texans to a second straight win and stay in the hunt for a playoff berth. It wasn't always pretty, but the fifth-year QB threw for 274 yards and a touchdown, and maybe most importantly, he didn't turn the ball over at all against Tennessee.
Shout out to Nico Collins, who scored Houston's only touchdown of the game in the 3rd quarter to give Houston a 7-6 lead in the 3rd quarter. If the targets come Collins' way, he's going to find a way to be productive no matter who it is that's throwing to him. It's as simple as that.
Shout out to Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, who continue to play like -- speaking of summer blockbusters -- a pair of damn velociraptors wreaking havoc inside of Jurassic Park or Jurassic World or wherever the heck the dinosaurs are roaming in any of the new movies in this film franchise. Today they combined for 8 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 4 QB hits and a fumble recovery.
And hey, shout out to the entire Houston Texans roster and organization, because whether it be a single game or this season as a whole, no matter how undermanned or out of it this team appears to be, they just don't quit.