Titans vs Texans 2014: Critical Match-Ups

The Titans take on the Houston Texans on Sunday at 12pm CT, their last game before the BYE. Here are some of the match-ups that could turn the tide.

Chance Warmack vs JJ Watt

This has been an interesting match up for the past few seasons, with Watt getting the better of Warmack pretty regularly. The former Alabama standout has been underwhelming for a 1st round pick, and hasn't developed as was expected technically. He has an important task to ward off, or at least, slow down JJ Watt when they clash again on Sunday. This big interior battle will determine if the Titans can run on the inside, something they have been very inconsistent with this year so far. Watt also poses a huge threat in the pass rushing department, so expect the Titans to call in reinforcements for Warmack if Watt proves too destructive to handle.

Blidi Wreh-Wilson vs DeAndre Hopkins

Wreh-Wilson has a bounceback day against the Jaguars a few weeks back, and for all intents and purposes, had a solid day against the Redskins as well...except for one massive play from Pierre Garcon. This week he lines up against Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins. I don't expect this one to end well for Tennessee. While the Texans don't have a killer under center, the Redskins didn't need one either to take care of business with this secondary. Without some improved play from Griffin behind him, Wreh-Wilson will have an important, and tough task to perform this Sunday.

Kendall Wright vs Kareem Jackson

The Titans offense runs through Sankey, Walker, and Wright. At this point, it doesn't really run at all, but I digress. Wright was very good last week despite the game's end result. He faces some stronger competition at corner this game than last. Jackson has been fairly solid for the Texans, and pairs with Jonathan Joseph to form a good duo of cornerbacks. Wright has had success against this Texans group in the past, but with the Tennessee running game up and down from week to week, Wright may carry a much bigger burden/responsibility this week.

Jurrell Casey vs Ben Jones and Chris Myers

Both Jurrell Casey and Chris Myers mean a ton for their respective clubs, making this a fairly high profile trench-battle. Casey has been as deadly as ever, even more so when he has help from his line mates to prevent too many double teams. If the Titans can get Casey lined up one on one with Ben Jones, a much less decorated player at LG, they could put some serious heat on Ryan Fitzpatrick. That's a big "if" at this point, but Tennessee will need to pull out the stops to take care of a team that many thought were talent equals to the Titans before the season began.