Nashville, TN – In Week 15 of the 2019 season, the Tennessee Titans hosted the Houston Texans for the first of two contests between the clubs in a three-week span. Tennessee fell to Houston at home, 24-21.
On Houston’s opening possession, Texans QB Deshaun Watson drove his offense down the field into Titans’ territory. On second-and-seven at the Tennessee 20-yard line, Watson’s pass was intercepted at the one-yard line by S Kenny Vaccaro to end Houston’s scoring threat and keep it a scoreless game.
Later in the first quarter, QB Ryan Tannehill efficiently moved the offense into the red zone with help from a 22-yard reception by WR Corey Davis and a 23-yard rush by RB Derrick Henry.
At the Houston five-yard line, Tannehill’s pass was batted into the air by Texans S Justin Reid and intercepted by Texans OLB Whitney Mercilus, who returned the ball 86 yards. Houston capitalized on the turnover as Texans WR Kenny Stills caught a 12-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Houston put together a nine-play, 72-yard scoring drive that culminated in a 16-yard touchdown catch by Stills. The Texans took a 14-0 lead into the half. On Tennessee’s opening possession of the second half, the Titans constructed their most time consuming scoring drive of the season, a nine-minute, 26-second possession that covered 76 yards.
WR A.J. Brown contributed two first down catches, Davis added one, and Tannehill and Henry each rushed for a first down to help keep the chains moving. Ultimately, on fourth-and-goal, Tannehill ran into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown to cut the lead in
half, 14-7.
Later in the third quarter, with Houston in the red zone, Watson attempted a pass from the Tennessee four-yard line. However, the ball was tipped by DL Jeffery Simmons, and intercepted by LB Jayon Brown in the end zone for a touchback. The Titans capitalized on the turnover, and with help from a 57-yard rush by TE Jonnu Smith, Tannehill tossed a five-yard touchdown to A.J. Brown for a tie game, 14-14.
On Houston’s ensuing possession, the Texans regained the lead on a 75-yard scoring drive. Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins contributed a 35-yard reception as the possession culminated in a 10-yard score by Texans RB Carlos Hyde for a 21-14 lead. On the Texans following possession, Houston tacked on a 29-yard field goal to extend the lead to 24-14.
The Titans took the field down by 10 points with 3:26 remaining in regulation. Tannehill connected on a 23-yard pass to Smith, a 12-yard ball to WR Tajaé Sharpe, and a 19-yard catch to Davis to move the Titans down the field, before throwing an 11-yard touchdown to RB Dion Lewis. Tennessee came within three points of Houston, 24-21, but could not recover an onside kick and fell to the Texans.
Box Score
Week 15: Titans 21, Texans 24
Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019 • 12:00 p.m. CT • Nissan Stadium
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Houston | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
| Tennessee | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
