Texans Rally Late to Edge Titans 16-13

NASHVILLE — The Houston Texans pulled out a gritty 16-13 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Nissan Stadium, moving to 5-5 on the season while handing Tennessee its ninth loss in 10 games.

Backup quarterback Davis Mills completed 26 of 41 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown, stepping in while starter C.J. Stroud remains in the concussion protocol.  Wide receiver Nico Collins hauled in nine catches for 92 yards and the go-ahead score, a 3-yard strike from Mills in the third quarter.  Kicker Matthew Wright drilled a 35-yard field goal as time expired to seal the win for Houston.

Houston trailed 3-0 after the first quarter and went into halftime scoreless, but finally got rolling with 10 points in the third quarter before holding off a late Tennessee surge.  The Titans, who drove 95 yards late in the fourth to tie the game at 13-13 with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Cam Ward to Van Jefferson, couldn’t overcome the late mistake and allowed Houston the chance for the walk-off field goal.

Defensively, the Texans forced one turnover (Tennessee lost the ball once) and capitalized on the Titans’ missteps, while the Titans’ defense held the Texans in check early before finally breaking.  The win maintains Houston’s dominance over Tennessee in Nashville and keeps their faint playoff hopes alive.

The final line: Texans 16, Titans 13. With the victory, Houston moves to .500 and must keep building momentum as they face a key matchup on short rest this week against the Buffalo Bills.