Will Levis and the Tennessee Titans were far from perfect on Sunday, but they did just enough to hold off the mistake-prone Houston Texans and secure their first AFC South win of the season.
Levis threw for 278 yards, and his 70-yard touchdown pass to Chig Okonkwo gave the Titans the lead in the fourth quarter. Tennessee went on to win 32-27.
“The coolest thing about this game was just the way our team fought,” said coach Brian Callahan. “It was a back-and-forth game. Our guys did a good job of not flinching and keeping the blinders on. We’ve been in games like this before, and we haven’t been able to make a play, but this week, we made a play.”
Okonkwo caught a short pass and raced for the touchdown to put the Titans (3-8) up 30-27 with 9½ minutes left. Safety Eric Murray missed a tackle that could have stopped him around midfield.
The Texans (7-5) had a chance to tie the game with less than two minutes left, but Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 28-yard field goal attempt missed wide left. Fairbairn fell to the ground after the miss, got up, and slammed his helmet on the field.
Callahan raised both hands in the air and smiled after watching the miss, which allowed his team to win despite having three turnovers.
The Texans forced a three-and-out but couldn’t move the ball after that. Harold Landry sacked C.J. Stroud in the end zone for a safety, making the score 32-27 and allowing the Titans to break their two-game losing streak.
Stroud threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions as the AFC South-leading Texans lost their third game in the last four. Stroud has thrown five interceptions in his last three games, bringing his total to nine for the season, more than he had in 15 games as a rookie.
“It’s no secret that I haven’t been playing well… I’ve got to be harder on myself,” Stroud said. “I’m not going to hold my head down. I know I can be a great player, but I’ve got to make better plays.”
Jimmie Ward returned an interception for a touchdown in the third quarter, and the Texans tied a franchise record with eight sacks. Danielle Hunter led the way with three sacks, and Will Anderson Jr. added two after missing two games with an ankle injury. However, the offense struggled, and Joe Mixon was held to just 22 yards on 14 carries.
“Just a disappointing loss for us,” said coach DeMeco Ryans. “We didn’t do anything well enough to win this game. Out of all the positives that we did have, there were way too many negatives.”
This was Tennessee’s first win of the season in a game that Levis both started and finished. The second-year quarterback had missed three games earlier this season due to a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder.
“I’m really proud of Will,” Callahan said. “He’s done a lot of things to get himself back in the right place, mentally and physically. It was a really good performance.”
Levis knows he can improve, but he was glad to leave Houston with a win in a challenging season.
“It feels awesome,” he said. “A lot of people have been working really hard to get a win like this. I’m just happy for the organization, top down.”
Tennessee extended their lead to 23-17 on a 51-yard field goal by Nick Folk with nine minutes left in the third quarter.
Stroud threw his second interception with about 90 seconds left in the third, but Ward’s touchdown came three plays later, putting the Texans ahead 24-23.
The Titans fumbled a punt early in the fourth quarter, and Houston recovered. Fairbairn kicked a 54-yard field goal to extend the Texans’ lead to 27-23 with about 10 minutes to go.
Dameon Pierce returned the opening kickoff 80 yards, putting the Texans in the red zone. Stroud then threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to rookie Cade Stover for his first touchdown reception.
The Titans trailed by four after Folk’s field goal, but Nick Westbrook-Ikhine got open for a 38-yard touchdown catch that gave Tennessee a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter.
Tennessee extended their lead to 17-7 when Tony Pollard ran 10 yards for a touchdown with about 11 minutes left in the second quarter. Pollard finished with 119 yards and a touchdown.
Nico Collins scored on a 5-yard reception with about six minutes left in the second quarter.
Levis fumbled with about 3½ minutes left, and the Texans added a 28-yard field goal to tie the game at 17-17.
Houston forced a punt, but rookie Jarvis Brownlee Jr. intercepted a pass two plays later, giving the Titans the ball back. Folk’s 56-yard field goal, which matched his career long, put Tennessee ahead 20-17 at halftime.
