HOUSTON – Talk about striking oil.
“Just the Titans” came to Houston and beat the Texans at NRG Stadium on Sunday, turning H-Town into T-Town in the process.
Tennessee’s 32-27 win over the Texans was the team’s fifth win in the past six games in Houston.
Titans fans, some of them decked out in Oilers gear, celebrated as Texans fans headed to the exits.
In the locker room after the game, owner Amy Adams Strunk was presented a game ball.
“It feels good, not just for us, but for Miss Amy,” defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said after the game. “Just to see her in this locker room with tears in her eyes, how much this means to her. That’s the reason why, especially myself, go out and give it my all. We had a mindset to let this game mean a little more, and play for our owner. This was for her.”
In what’s been a frustrating season, this was a nice highlight.
But on this day, it was fun to celebrate.
“Our coach gave us a speech this week, about how much this meant to (Amy) and her family,” cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. said. “He told us the history. So, this game was a little more personal because of the rivalry, and because of Miss Amy as well. We just wanted to come out here and give it our all for Amy, and the city of Nashville.”
Titans quarterback Will Levis completed 18-of-24 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception that was returned for a touchdown. He was sacked eight times in the contest.
Running back Tony Pollard ran for 119 yards on 24 carries, with a touchdown. Calvin Ridley led the team with 93 receiving yards, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine scored another touchdown.
Kicker Nick Folk made field goals from 51, 51 and 56 yards.
Defensively, the Titans held Texans running back Joe Mixon to just 22 yards on 14 carries, and they intercepted Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud twice.
In the end, the Titans survived some of their own mistakes to win it.
“The coolest part of the whole game was how this team fought,” Coach Brian Callahan said. “Our guys did a nice job of not flinching, and keeping the blinders down. It was just great to see how our guys fought, and finally we have a chance to have something to show for it, and that’s what I’m most happy about.”
It was an ominous start for the Titans.
Texans returner Dameon Pierce returned the opening kickoff 80 yards to the Titans 19-yard line, and Stroud connected with tight end Cade Stover for a touchdown on Houston’s first offensive play to make it 7-0 just 18 seconds left in the contest.
But the Titans responded with three consecutive scores of their own, starting with a 51-yard field goal by Folk, which made it 7-3 with 11:15 left in the first quarter.
After a defensive stop, Levis then executed a beautiful, 10-play, 89-yard touchdown drive that he capped off with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Westbrook-Ikhine, which made it 10-7.
When the Titans got the ball back after another defensive stop, on their own five-yard line, Levis guided the Titans 95 yards on six plays. A 63-yard pass to Ridley jumpstarted the drive, and a 10-yard touchdown run by Pollard capped it off to make it 17-7 with 11:03 left in the second quarter.
The Texans cut the lead to 17-14 on a five-yard touchdown pass from Stroud to Nico Collins with 6:17 left in the second quarter.
Following a critical fumble on a botched exchange from Levis to Pollard, the Texans tied the game on a field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn to make it 17-17 with 3:24 left before halftime.
The Titans kept swinging.
And, after an interception by Brownlee Jr., Folk nailed a 56-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to give the Titans a 20-17 lead at the break.
Levis was 11-of-12 for 177 yards and a touchdown at the half, but he was sacked seven times.
The Titans got more points on a Folk field goal to start the second half. It was another 51-yarder by Folk, this one capping an 11-play, 41-yard drive, to give the Titans a 23-17 lead at the 9:08 mark of the third quarter.
After Titans linebacker Kenneth Murray intercepted Stroud in Houston territory, it looked like the Titans might take control of the game.
But disaster struck not long after, as Levis was intercepted by Texans safety Jimmie Ward, and he returned it 65 yards for a touchdown to give Houston a 24-23 lead after three quarters.
Another special teams faux pas – a fumble by returner Jha’Quan Jackson – served up another short field for the Texans, giving them the ball at the Tennessee 43.
The Texans cashed that in for three more points on another Fairbairn field goal, this one from 54 yards, to take a 27-23 lead with 9:46 remaining in the game.
But the Titans got off the mat, in grand fashion.
Tight end Chig Okonkwo caught a short pass from Levis, and he turned it into 70-yard touchdown by outracing a host of Texans defenders to the end zone to make it 30-27 with 9:35 left.
Fairbairn missed a short field goal late that would have tied it.
Simmons then had a critical sack late, before Titans edge Harold Landry recorded a safety in the closing moments to seal the win.
And, the Titans celebrated in Houston, once again.
The Titans return to action next Sunday at the Washington Commanders.
“It feels awesome,” Levis said. “A lot of people have been working hard to get a win like this, and (I’m) just happy from top down, the whole organization. It was good to come here and get a win.”
