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Last Game between Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans

Tennessee Titans

Tennessee TitansNashville, TN – The Houston Texans forced four turnovers and used three total touchdowns by quarterback Brandon Weeden to defeat the Tennessee Titans 34-6 at Nissan Stadium.

Weeden, who was in the lineup in place of regular starting quarterback Brian Hoyer (concussion/ankle), made his first start since being claimed off waivers by the Texans in November. He was efficient at Tennessee, completing 15 of 24 passes for 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also rushed for a score.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger (7) passes against the Houston Texans during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Houston won 34-6 December 27th, 2015. (Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger (7) passes against the Houston Texans during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Houston won 34-6 December 27th, 2015. (Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports)

DeAndre Hopkins was on the receiving end of many of Weeden’s throws. The wideout totaled 117 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. The Titans also were playing a backup quarterback. With starter Marcus Mariota inactive due to a knee injury, Zach Mettenberger received the nod.

He was 27-of-51 for 234 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The Texans forced three fumbles and recovered all three of them, and they added an interception off Mettenberger. They scored a total of 17 points as a result of turnovers.

Once they got a comfortable lead, the Texans called a heavy dose of running plays. They averaged only three yards per carry but rushed a total of 42 times for 128 yards. Their commitment to the ground attack helped them win the time-of-possession battle by an overwhelming margin of 36:13 to 23:47.

The Texans defense scored the game’s first points. Five plays into the Titans’ opening possession, running back Antonio Andrews took a handoff from Mettenberger, only to have cornerback Kareem Jackson jar the ball loose on the play. Safety Quintin Demps scooped it up and raced 33 yards for a touchdown to give Houston the early lead.

Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker (82) extends for extra yardage after a reception during the first half against the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium December 27th, 2015. (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)
Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker (82) extends for extra yardage after a reception during the first half against the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium December 27th, 2015. (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

After the Titans defense forced a punt the first time the unit was on the field, a special teams miscue resulted in three more quick points for the Texans. Harry Douglas caught the punt, but he lost control upon being taken down by Alfred Blue. Long snapper Jon Weeks recovered the fumble, leading to a 22-yard field goal by Nick Novak.

The Titans had a chance to chip into the lead early in the second quarter but came up empty. With the Texans on offense, Titans rookie outside linebacker J.R. Tavai recorded a sack and caused Weeden to fumble.

Fellow outside linebacker David Bass recovered the ball at the Houston 25-yard line. However, two penalties on the Titans moved the ball back to the 36-yard line, and they elected to punt rather than attempt a long field goal.

Later in the second quarter, the Texans went on a six-play, 65-yard scoring drive. Weeden connected with Hopkins down the sideline for a 44-yard pass. Then, on third-and-goal, Weeden scrambled for a seven-yard touchdown to help the Texans to a 17-0 lead with 2:32 remaining in the first half.

The Titans got the ball back at Houston’s 40-yard line with a minute left in the half, but the Texans defense forced a three-and-out.

In the second half, the Texans kept piling up the points. They opened the third quarter with an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, beginning with a 21-yard reception by wide receiver Nate Washington. Weeden completed five of his six passes during the march, culminating with a 15-yard touchdown toss to Hopkins.

On the ensuing possession, Mettenberger appeared to complete a pass to Andrews, but as Andrews turned upfield, safety Eddie Pleasant reached in and took the ball away. The play was ruled on the field as an interception at the Tennessee 34-yard line. The turnover led to a 13-yard touchdown pass from Weeden to Washington.

The Titans then went three-and-out, allowing the Texans to record their third scoring drive of the third quarter. Helped by an 18-yard pass interference penalty on the Titans, the 48-yard series ended with a 36-yard field goal by Nick Novak to make the score 34-0.

The Titans remained scoreless until late in the fourth quarter. Running back Bishop Sankey gained 30 yards on a reception, and on fourth-and-goal, Mettenberger completed a touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Tre McBride.

Box Score

Houston Texans 34 at Tennessee Titans 6
Sunday, December 27th, 2015
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN

Team 1 2 3 4 Final
Houston Texans 10 7 17 0 34
Tennessee Titans 0 0 0 6 6
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