If ever there was a time that the Houston Texans would want to welcome the 0-3 Tennessee Titans to town, it would be this very week. The Texans, just like their AFC South counterpart, are winless through three weeks, and although there is certainly no way to feel great about Houston's chances today considering how they've looked to start the year, this should be a game that the Texans use to get their season on track.
But in the NFL, you can't expect to show up, go through the motions and still manage to take care of business, especially when you haven't proven to have the ability to flip that metaphorical switch. The Texans needs to approach this game with the appropriate sense of urgency -- that of a team that is, for all intents and purposes, playing for their season.
Put simply, these are the five players that the Texans need to play their best game of the season on Sunday to ensure they don't fall into a potentially insurmountable 0-4 hole.
Woody Marks
After logging 7 combined touches in their first two games of the season, rookie running back Woody Marks got a double-dose of touches in Houston's Week 3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Marks carried six times for 27 yards and hauled in 1 reception for 9 yards versus the Jags, continuing a season-long trend in which the workload in the backfield has evened out between Marks and Nick Chubb.
I wanted to take Nick Chubb for his word and believe he would be ready for some sort of resurgence ahead of the season, but that is understandably too much to ask of a 30-year-old running back with multiple catastrophic leg injuries in his past. Therefore, for Houston to be able to run the ball with any kind of burst, it's gonna have to be the rookie out of USC who spearheads that charge.
Don't be surprised if the trend continues and Woody Marks is even more involved in the gameplan this week.
Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter
After combining for 23 sacks during the 2024 season, Anderson and Hunter have combined for five in Houston's first three games of the season, so they're technically on pace to not only match that total, but exceed it this year. But let's just be real... it hasn't felt like this edge rushing duo has been as impactful in 2025.
This afternoon is the opportunity to amend that. With rookie quarterback Cam Ward still finding his footing in the NFL, Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter have the opportunity to give the 1st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft a rude welcoming to life in the AFC South.
The Titans have allowed a league-high 15 sacks so far this season, so Anderson and Hunter should feast. If they do, the entire Texans defense will benefit.
Tremon Smith
With the status of Derek Stingley Jr. still uncertain just hours before kickoff, it's possible that Tremon Smith will get the start for the All-Pro corner on Sunday afternoon. Even if Stingley is able to go, he doesn't figure to be 100% and that could mean an increased snap count for the 29-year-old journeyman in his second go-round with the Texans.
“With Sting going down, of course, that’s not what we want, but it’s my job to be a pro and just be ready, even though I might have not have got the reps during the week. That’s part of my job being a pro," Smith said this week, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston. “I know I’m capable of going to make any plays on the ball. So, just going out there and just practice, just putting what I practiced to the field and just make sure it translated.”
Thus far this season, Smith has been targeted seven times and allowed just two receptions for 5 yards.
The Entire Houston Texans Offensive Line
This embattled group has been under the microscope since April, and for good reason... CJ Stroud continues to be overwhelmed with pressure. But just as is the case for the Houston Texans as a whole, if there's a week when the Texans offensive line should 'get right,' it's this week.
The Titans are 31st in the league in sacks through three weeks this season, getting to the opposing quarterback just two times in three games, but there are enough issues with Houston's front five that the Titans could be looking at this matchup as a get-right game for their own defensive line.
It's a showdown between the stoppable force that is the Titans pass rush, and the movable object that is the Texans offensive line. And whichever side has the better afternoon could dictate which team emerges with their first win of the season.