Texans vs Titans: position-group matchup

The biggest mismatch: the Titans run defense (7th) against the Texans run game (32nd).

Week 5: Texans at TitansSun, Oct 11 · 1:00 PM ETTexans favored by 7.5

On paper

4 games in. Samples are still small, so a rank can move a lot in a week. Ranks are out of 32 teams and 1st is always best, on offense and defense alike.

Texans

pairings with the edge

Titans

pairings with the edge

of 8

On paper, the position groups cancel out. This one comes down to the details below.

Titans big edge
Titans run defense (7th) against the Texans run game (32nd)
Texans big edge
Texans quarterback play (9th) against the Titans pass coverage (29th)
Texans edge
Texans receiving corps (18th) against the Titans pass coverage (28th)
Titans edge
Titans quarterback play (15th) against the Texans pass coverage (25th)

Position group by position group

Each offense against the other team's defense, one position group at a time. Circle: the offense. Diamond: the defense. Whoever sits further right wins that pairing.

Texans offense vs Titans defense

Pass protection vs pass rush
Even
WeakestBest
The Texans pass protection ranks 24th. The Titans pass rush ranks 22nd.
Texans (Week 4 report, latest out): Ed Ingram (G, questionable, groin)
The numbers and the players
Texans pass protection
- Sacks allowed per dropback7.4% (23rd)
- Pressure allowed per dropback25% (23rd)
- Evan Brown (C) 100% of snaps
- Aireontae Ersery (T) 100% of snaps
- Trent Brown (T) 100% of snaps
- Keylan Rutledge (C) 100% of snaps
- Wyatt Teller (G) 50% of snaps
Titans pass rush
- Sacks per dropback6.3% (15th)
- Pressure per dropback21% (22nd)
- Quarterback hits per dropback12.7% (26th)
- Jacob Martin (DE) 7 pressures, 1.5 sacks
- Jeffery Simmons (DT) 6 pressures, 2 sacks
- John Franklin-Myers (DL) 5 pressures, 1 sacks
Run game vs run defense
Titans big edge
WeakestBest
The Texans run game ranks 32nd. The Titans run defense ranks 7th.
Texans (Week 4 report, latest out): Ed Ingram (G, questionable, groin)
The numbers and the players
Texans run game
- Points added per run−0.24 (30th)
- Runs that keep the drive on track29% (32nd)
- Rushing yards after contact1.1 (32nd)
- Runs of 10+ yards4.9% (31st)
- Rushing yards before contact2.4 (19th)
- Runs stopped at or behind the line24% (31st)
- David Montgomery (RB) −0.34 per run on 47
- Woody Marks (RB) −0.19 per run on 27
- Evan Brown (C) 100% of snaps
- Aireontae Ersery (T) 100% of snaps
- Trent Brown (T) 100% of snaps
- Keylan Rutledge (C) 100% of snaps
- Wyatt Teller (G) 50% of snaps
Titans run defense
- Points allowed per run−0.08 (17th)
- Runs stopped at or behind the line19% (13th)
- Runs of 10+ yards allowed7.6% (9th)
- Missed tackles5.4% (4th)
- Anthony Hill (LB) 42 tackles, 1 missed
- Cody Barton (LB) 20 tackles
Quarterback vs coverage
Texans big edge
WeakestBest
The Texans quarterback play ranks 9th. The Titans pass coverage ranks 29th.
Titans (Week 4 report, latest out): Kevin Winston Jr. (S, questionable, shoulder)
The numbers and the players
Texans quarterback play
- Points added per dropback+0.04 (18th)
- Completions above expected−0.2 (20th)
- Interceptions per throw0.0% (2nd)
- Passes of 20+ yards per dropback11.1% (3rd)
- C.J. Stroud (QB) +0.02 per dropback on 155
Titans pass coverage
- Points allowed per throw+0.20 (28th)
- Completions allowed above expected+9.7 (30th)
- Interceptions per throw1.7% (19th)
- Amani Hooker (S) 100.1 passer rating allowed on 17 targets
- Marcus Harris (CB) 63.8 passer rating allowed on 16 targets
Receivers vs coverage
Texans edge
WeakestBest
The Texans receiving corps ranks 18th. The Titans pass coverage ranks 28th.
Titans (Week 4 report, latest out): Kevin Winston Jr. (S, questionable, shoulder)
The numbers and the players
Texans receiving corps
- Points added per target+0.24 (13th)
- Yards after the catch4.2 (23rd)
- Drops per target1.5% (2nd)
- Tackles broken per catch1.1% (32nd)
- Dalton Schultz (TE) +0.26 per target on 27
- Xavier Hutchinson (WR) +0.06 per target on 26
- Nico Collins (WR) +0.70 per target on 17
Titans pass coverage
- Passes of 20+ yards allowed10.3% (27th)
- Passer rating allowed102.3 (24th)
- Points allowed per throw+0.20 (28th)
- Amani Hooker (S) 100.1 passer rating allowed on 17 targets
- Marcus Harris (CB) 63.8 passer rating allowed on 16 targets

Titans offense vs Texans defense

Pass protection vs pass rush
Even
WeakestBest
The Titans pass protection ranks 5th. The Texans pass rush ranks 9th.
The numbers and the players
Titans pass protection
- Sacks allowed per dropback4.4% (10th)
- Pressure allowed per dropback21% (9th)
- Peter Skoronski (G) 100% of snaps
- JC Latham (T) 100% of snaps
- Austin Schlottmann (C) 100% of snaps
- Dan Moore (T) 100% of snaps
- Fernando Carmona (G) 67% of snaps
Texans pass rush
- Sacks per dropback8.8% (3rd)
- Pressure per dropback27% (10th)
- Quarterback hits per dropback17.0% (13th)
- Will Anderson (DE) 12 pressures, 4.5 sacks
- Danielle Hunter (DE) 8 pressures, 2 sacks
- Sheldon Rankins (DT) 5 pressures, 2 sacks
Run game vs run defense
Texans edge
WeakestBest
The Titans run game ranks 17th. The Texans run defense ranks 6th.
Texans (Week 4 report, latest out): Azeez Al-Shaair (LB, out, groin); Jake Hansen (LB, questionable, calf)
The numbers and the players
Titans run game
- Points added per run−0.06 (16th)
- Runs that keep the drive on track36% (22nd)
- Rushing yards after contact1.4 (26th)
- Runs of 10+ yards9.1% (16th)
- Rushing yards before contact2.6 (13th)
- Runs stopped at or behind the line16% (9th)
- Tony Pollard (RB) −0.11 per run on 52
- Tyjae Spears (RB) +0.07 per run on 14
- Peter Skoronski (G) 100% of snaps
- JC Latham (T) 100% of snaps
- Austin Schlottmann (C) 100% of snaps
- Dan Moore (T) 100% of snaps
- Fernando Carmona (G) 67% of snaps
Texans run defense
- Points allowed per run−0.15 (7th)
- Runs stopped at or behind the line16% (20th)
- Runs of 10+ yards allowed6.5% (7th)
- Missed tackles7.0% (8th)
- Azeez Al-Shaair (LB) 31 tackles, 2 missed
- Jake Hansen (LB) 24 tackles, 2 missed
Quarterback vs coverage
Titans edge
WeakestBest
The Titans quarterback play ranks 15th. The Texans pass coverage ranks 25th.
The numbers and the players
Titans quarterback play
- Points added per dropback−0.07 (24th)
- Completions above expected+3.2 (11th)
- Interceptions per throw0.8% (6th)
- Passes of 20+ yards per dropback6.7% (24th)
- Cam Ward (QB) −0.10 per dropback on 125
Texans pass coverage
- Points allowed per throw+0.12 (25th)
- Completions allowed above expected+1.0 (15th)
- Interceptions per throw0.7% (30th)
- Kamari Lassiter (CB) 114.9 passer rating allowed on 27 targets
- Derek Stingley Jr. (CB) 88.5 passer rating allowed on 24 targets
Receivers vs coverage
Even
WeakestBest
The Titans receiving corps ranks 31st. The Texans pass coverage ranks 27th.
The numbers and the players
Titans receiving corps
- Points added per target+0.03 (27th)
- Yards after the catch5.0 (15th)
- Drops per target8.3% (31st)
- Tackles broken per catch1.3% (30th)
- Carnell Tate (WR) +0.16 per target on 32
- Wan'Dale Robinson (WR) +0.18 per target on 23
- Gunnar Helm (TE) −0.16 per target on 13
Texans pass coverage
- Passes of 20+ yards allowed10.7% (30th)
- Passer rating allowed101.3 (23rd)
- Points allowed per throw+0.12 (25th)
- Kamari Lassiter (CB) 114.9 passer rating allowed on 27 targets
- Derek Stingley Jr. (CB) 88.5 passer rating allowed on 24 targets

Tale of the tape

Every unit on its own, side by side.

TexansTitans

9th
QuarterbackOffense
16th
31st
Offensive lineOffense
5th
18th
ReceiversOffense
31st
32nd
Run gameOffense
18th
9th
Pass rushDefense
23rd
6th
Run defenseDefense
7th
27th
Pass coverageDefense
29th

Longer bar is better. Each unit is graded on the stats shown in the pairings above, ranked among all 32 teams.

How these grades are calculated

Each position group is judged on three to five plain stats, listed below. All of them are per play or per throw, never season totals.
Every stat is ranked across all 32 teams, 1st to 32th, the right way round (fewer drops is better, more pressure is better for a pass rush).
A rank becomes a score from 0 to 100, with 1st at 100 and last at 0. The group's grade is the average of its stats' scores.
Teams are ranked by that grade, and that rank is the number on the cards.

For example, the Titans receivers is 31st. Its stats rank 27th (points added per target), 15th (yards after the catch), 31st (drops per target), and 30th (tackles broken per catch). Averaged, that is a grade of 20 out of 100, which is 31st among the 32 teams.

This is why a grade can disagree with a total or with another site's rating. A team can rank high in rushing yards because it carries the ball a lot or trails late, and still rank low here because each run adds little. Film grades, like PFF's, come from watching every player on every snap, and these do not. Early in the season a few plays can move a rank a lot.

Quarterback: points added per dropback, completions above expected, interceptions per throw, passes of 20+ yards per dropback
Offensive line: sacks allowed per dropback, pressure allowed per dropback, rushing yards before contact, runs stopped at or behind the line
Receivers: points added per target, yards after the catch, drops per target, tackles broken per catch
Run game: points added per run, runs that keep the drive on track, rushing yards after contact, runs of 10+ yards
Pass rush: sacks per dropback, pressure per dropback, quarterback hits per dropback
Run defense: points allowed per run, runs stopped at or behind the line, runs of 10+ yards allowed, missed tackles
Pass coverage: points allowed per throw, completions allowed above expected, passes of 20+ yards allowed, interceptions per throw, passer rating allowed

The coaches

Records are regular-season games since 1999, against the spread as listed by the games file. A new coach has no history here yet.

Measure	Texans	Titans
Head coach	DeMeco Ryans	Robert Saleh
Record as a head coach	32-23 in 55 games	23-49 in 72 games
With this team	32-23 since 2023	0-4 since 2026
Against the spread, this season	0-4	2-2
Against the spread, career	25-29-1	28-43-1
Against the spread as an underdog	14-11	20-31
Against the spread as a favorite	11-18-1	8-12-1
Coming off a bye	1-2	1-3
Head coach against head coach	0-2 against Robert Saleh	2-0 against DeMeco Ryans
Team against team since 1999	24-24	24-24

Last meetings, newest first: Texans 16-13 (2025 Wk 11) · Texans 26-0 (2025 Wk 4) · Texans 23-14 (2024 Wk 18) · Texans 27-32 (2024 Wk 12) · Texans 26-3 (2023 Wk 17)

How each team plays

Not good or bad, just the style. Ranks go from the highest rate down, so a 1st means the most of it in the league.

How the offenses like to play

Pass rate over expected
Texans −2.1 pts (16th highest)
Titans −7.9 pts (28th highest) — runs more than the situation calls for
Play-action share of dropbacks
Texans 22% (20th highest)
Titans 21% (24th highest)
Plays with pre-snap motion
Texans 56% (19th highest)
Titans 47% (31st highest) — keeps its formations still
No-huddle plays
Texans 7% (11th highest)
Titans 14% (3rd highest) — hurries to the line
Plays from the shotgun
Texans 66% (12th highest)
Titans 69% (5th highest) — lives in the shotgun

How the defenses like to play

Blitz rate
Texans 21% (29th highest) — rarely blitzes
Titans 22% (27th highest) — rarely blitzes
Pass rushers sent
Texans 4.3 (26th highest) — rushes with the fewest
Titans 4.2 (28th highest) — rushes with the fewest
Runs against a loaded box (8+)
Texans 13% (10th highest)
Titans 6% (23rd highest)

Who is missing

The latest injury report for each team, sorted by position group. A starter averaged more than half the team's snaps in the games he played.

Texans

Latest report is from Week 4; the Week 5 report is not out yet.

Azeez Al-Shaair LBStarterOut · groin · run defense
M.J. Stewart SOut · knee · pass coverage
Ed Ingram GStarterQuestionable · groin · offensive line
Jake Hansen LBStarterQuestionable · calf · run defense
Jadeveon Clowney DEQuestionable · knee · pass rush
Logan Hall DEQuestionable · knee · pass rush
British Brooks RBDid not practice · run game
Dalton Schultz TEStarterLimited in practice · receivers

Titans

Latest report is from Week 4; the Week 5 report is not out yet.

Kevin Winston Jr. SStarterQuestionable · shoulder · pass coverage
Tyjae Spears RBQuestionable · ankle · run game

← All 32 teams

Data: nflverse play-by-play, CC BY 4.0. Ranks use the 2026 regular season through Week 4. Also FTN charting, Pro Football Reference advanced stats, snap counts and injury reports, all through nflverse. Calculations and charts by Raiders Rundown.

Texans vs Titans: position-group matchup

On paper

Titans run defense (7th) against the Texans run game (32nd)

Texans quarterback play (9th) against the Titans pass coverage (29th)

Texans receiving corps (18th) against the Titans pass coverage (28th)

Titans quarterback play (15th) against the Texans pass coverage (25th)

Position group by position group

Texans offense vs Titans defense

Pass protection vs pass rush

Run game vs run defense

Quarterback vs coverage

Receivers vs coverage

Titans offense vs Texans defense

Pass protection vs pass rush

Run game vs run defense

Quarterback vs coverage

Receivers vs coverage

Tale of the tape

The coaches

How each team plays

Who is missing

Texans

Titans