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The Tennessee Titans have been the most incoherent team in the NFL this season. The kind of team that could react to a desperate defeat early in the season with three consecutive wins, including one on the defending champion, the Eagles. The kind of team that could follow these three consecutive wins with three consecutive defeats, including one against the Bills. The kind of team that could return from after London after a convincing victory over the Cowboys and Patriots, before being eliminated by the Colts a week later.
For a while there, it looked as if the Good Titans were going to be rivaling the Houston Texans division on Monday night. Tennessee marched on the field to score a goal in his first training session, putting the Texans on a three-goal lead in their first possession, then getting a 61-yard touchdown by second-year halfback Jonnu Smith on the next attack. .
They were even on the verge of answering Demaryius Thomas with a score of their own … but they were stopped on a 4th and 1 from inside the Texans' 5-yard line when they called for a Jumbo play by hand the tight end Luke Stocker, who was lined up as a high-back on the game. Stocker was drunk, the Titans returned the ball, Lamar Miller scored 97 yards at home and with the exception From a touchdown of Corey Davis that offered the Titans a glimmer of momentary hope, that was just about Houston from there. .
Miller, Alfred Blue and Deshaun Watson combined their efforts to reap 282 yards in 33 races. DeAndre Hopkins dominated as usual. The defense was finally able to pin his ears and systematically followed Marcus Mariota, sacking him five times. It was too hard to overcome for the Titans.
The Texans got a 34-17 win, their eighth straight win after a 0-3 start. Some of these victories were of the "skin of their teeth" type, but this one was quite convincing. The Texans now have a hold on AFC's No. 3 seed and are firmly in control of South AFC. Their year-end calendar is rather favorable. They have a receiver duo able to win a big game anywhere on the field. They have a defense that praises the star talent along the front line. They are not yet among the best teams in the AFC, but they are probably in the top category, just behind the Chargers. Seeing how they started the season, it's pretty impressive.
Here is some more information about the Texans 34-17 victory.
Lamar Miller misses
It was a strange season for Lamar Miller. He had a ton of races all year, but before Monday night, he had not done much with them, with the exception of a two-game series where he was Raised 233 yards in 40 races against Jaguars and Dolphins. In his other seven games, he had 105 runs for just 378 yards.
This game was however very different. Miller had only 12 sacks, but he worked a lot with them, accumulating 162 yards on the ground. In doing so, he joins Arian Foster on an exclusive list of Texans.
Most of the damage occurred in this room.
This postponement allowed Miller to own a rather cool NFL record. He is now the only player in the history of the NFL with at least two touchdowns of 95 yards or more, according to the NFL's internal research department.
Miller made a 97-yard touchdown in 2014, while still a member of the Miami Dolphins. The newest non-Miller player with a touchdown over 95 yards is Chester Taylor, who made it to the Vikings in 2006. Corey Dillon, Ahman Green and Tiki Barber are the only other players of this century to have made touchdowns. 95 meters or more.
Controversial decision helps Texans
At the start of the fourth quarter, Deshaun Watson broke through the pocket and crossed the Titans defense for a 34-yard gain. That was typical of Watson: use his legs to keep the game alive, then use them to move his team to the field.
But it seemed obvious that the ball had sprung from Watson's hands before he touched the ground, and Titans coach Mike Vrabel challenged the game because it felt so too. . But the original decision was confirmed, Houston kept the ball and Watson found Demaryius Thomas for a score of two games later. And that is just about all that she wrote.
J.J. lifts wattage
We were spoiled by J.J. Watt in the early 2010s. We took for granted that he was a force of nature each year who was doing absurd things and destroying the opposite offenses on an instant basis. From 2012 to 2015, Watt accumulated 315 tackles, including 119 for the loss. He recorded 190 quarter hits and 69 sacks. He has made four Pro Bowls and four first All-Pro teams and has been named Defensive Player of the Year three times.
And then, he has practically disappeared during most of the 2016 and 2017 seasons after suffering various injuries. Watt only played eight games in those two years and did not look much like himself, even when he was on the pitch. This guy is back in force this year, dominating every moment and he did it again Monday night.
Watt had nine tackles, including one for defeat. He hit Marcus Mariota twice, sent him off once (his 11th in 11 games) and forced a fumble against that game.
It's so good to have this dominant version of one of the best defensive players in the league. Enjoy it.
The strange night of Mariota
Go take a look at Marcus Mariota's box numbers. Do it now and come back. We will be here waiting.
D & # 39; AGREEMENT. You come back? Awesome. Marcus Mariota was 22 out of 23 for 303 yards and two touchdowns! And yet, he did not really seem to play well? Mariota spent a lot of time all night. He had 109 yards on the pass and two touchdowns in two games. The first was marked by a broken cover and a long run after the restart, while the second was good, but also saw two Texan defenders sneak up. Corey Davis trots in the end zone.
Mariota threw three passes over 15 meters – all to Davis. His big night also placed him in a strange company, since it only became the second quarter to attempt at least 15 passes, to complete at least 90% of those passes and to lose another . By ESPN:
As we said above: strange night.
Welcome to the offensive, Demaryius Thomas
In his first training with the Houston Texans, Demaryius Thomas made two passes for 49 yards. Later in the first quarter of the game, he caught another pass for 12 yards. For the rest of this game, it has not been targeted even once. Throughout the 11th week, he was not targeted.
This week, Thomas has been brought back into the fold. Things started with a 12-yard touchdown on a very nice run in the red zone, where he beat Adoree Jackson's inner lever and escaped to the back corner to perform a nice catch.
On the next trip, he took a screen pass, avoided a few tackles and managed a first run for the Texans. He disappeared a little later, but he managed a big conversion in third downhill in the fourth quarter. He got a disputed grip in the middle of the field to extend his training, waste extra time and finally get points for the Texans. – That he made himself with a 10 yard touchdown shot.
Slot machine player Keke Coutee left the match with a new injury. Texans could therefore rely even more on Hopkins in the coming weeks.
Your weekly absurdity DeAndre Hopkins
Thomas entered the end zone twice, but Hopkins led the Texans both in the assists and in the receptions, as he almost always does. Two pieces in particular stand out. In the first quarter, there was a jump in a crossover pattern, which made it look incredibly easy. And then, there were ridiculously fanciful footwork and gloves on the right touchline at the end of the second quarter, setting up a goal on the field that raised the score to 14 points.
This guy is really, really good.
And after?
The Texans are now 8-3 and control both AFC South and the third seed of the conference. They have a home meeting with the Browns next week (1:00 pm ET, CBS, broadcast on CBS All Access or fuboTV (free trial), and end the season with contests against Colts, Jets, Eagles and Jaguars: One more win should put an end to a playoff spot, but if they can go 4-1 or better, they may be able to get a pass in the first round if the Patriots fail. Titans, for their part, are now 5-6 in the margins of the playoffs and their upcoming schedule (Jets, Jaguars, Giants, Washington, Colts) is favorable, but it's hard to count on one of these games to win, given the inconsistency of the team throughout the season.
Check out our live blog of the festivities below.
Thank you for joining us.
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