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The Titans are a 10 point road underdog in Houston on Sunday. That is a pretty big number for a team that looked as good as the Titans did last week. Here are what some of the "experts" around the internet are predicting:
Texans 34 Titans 20
It won't surprise me if Tennessee comes out ballin' en route to an early 14-0 lead. Houston sometimes has a tendency to come out of the gate slowly; over the last nine games (including the postseason), the Texans have been outscored 127-93 in the first half. That's not what you want to see from a " Super Bowl contender." Now, let's hope the Titans don't spot this week's opponent a quick two because their kick returner needs Google Maps to figure out where the goal line is. ( Was that strange or what?) The interesting aspect of this game will be how Jake Locker handles the Texans' rush. Can he make Houston pay for sending five and six by completing accurate throws, like Philip Rivers did Monday night? In the end, Tennessee is going to find the Houston running back tandem of Arian Foster and Ben Tate to be a hair better -- and tougher to stop -- than the Isaac Redman-LaRod Stephens-Howling train was last Sunday.
Texans 20 Titans 7
The Texans didn't flinch down three touchdowns in the second half at San Diego, and that's the sign of a mature team that has learned how to win when it doesn't have its A game. This is the rivalry that Titans owner Bud Adams lives for, because the former Oilers owner still lives in Houston and gets a kick out of beating the city's current NFL franchise. But Tennessee won't win by scoring just 16 points on the road for a second consecutive week. The Texans have more ways to threaten the Titans defense than the struggling Steelers did.
Texans 24 Titans 21
The Texans had big problems on defense early against Philip Rivers. Jake Locker is no Rivers. That means the focus will be Chris Johnson. The Titans' defense had a nice day against the Steelers. Can they do it again? Short week for Texans helps. Houston wins a tight one.
The Titans enter this as a pretty consensus underdog. Hopefully they can shock the world!