Injury to Stroud Clouds the Houston vs Tennessee AFC South Showdown
The Texans vs Titans Odds Could Change Based On The Availability of Houston's Offensive Stars
Houston Heads to Tennessee for a Crucial Game with Some Key Players Ailing
It has been a while since the Houston Texans went into a December matchup with Tennessee as the team with the better record and higher probability of making the NFL playoffs. The Texans vs Titans odds have host Tennessee as the favorite.
Tennessee leads the all-time series 23-19. The Titans had won five of the previous six meetings before Houston’s 19-14 road win in the most recent matchup.
The NFL betting lines have Tennessee favored by 2.5 points. Houston was listed as a 3-point favorite a week ago.
Houston is just a game back of first-place Jacksonville in the AFC South standings and is one of 11 AFC teams with winning records. Tennessee is in last place in the division with a 5-8 mark. However, four of those wins have come at home.
The injuries are piling up for Houston, with rookie quarterback CJ Stroud (concussion), top receiver Nico Collins (calf), and tight end Dalton Schultz (hamstring) are all questionable for an offense already missing receiver Tank Dell as well as offensive linemen Kendrick Green, Kenyon Green and Jarrett Patterson. Linebacker Blake Cashman and defensive back Tavierre Thomas are also questionable.
For Tennessee, cornerback Kristian Fulton and tight end Josh Whyle are questionable. Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is out.
Tennessee was 14th among 16 teams with +5000 odds to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, with the Texans having the longest odds at +10000. Houston is now seventh at +3000 in the AFC championship odds, with Tennessee priced at +50000.
When looking at the AFC South rankings, Houston is priced at +650 to win the division, with Tennessee well back at +15000 in the AFC South title odds.
Texans vs Titans 
Day/Time:
Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Line: Tennessee -2.5
Total: 38
Streaming: CBS
Mills Coming Back for the Texans?
More than a few NFL teams have been exposed for having backup quarterbacks not ready for primetime when the starter either was injured or ineffective.
That should not be the case for Houston if Stroud, the front-runner to be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, cannot go. The Texans vs Titans odds will be impacted by what happens with Stroud, as there has already been a significant line movement.
Davis Mills passed for 5782 yards and 33 touchdowns in 28 games over the previous two NFL seasons before losing his job to Stroud.
Mills has only thrown seven passes this season. He was held in check in the two games versus Tennessee a season ago with 178 and 152 passing yards with a touchdown pass and interception as the teams split two games in 2022.
Houston has covered against the NFL betting lines in just two of its last seven games.
Plenty of Close Calls for the Titans
This feels like a “what might have been” sort of season for the Titans, with nine games being decided by eight points or less.
It started with a one-point loss to New Orleans when the Titans went for a field goal down by four points with 2:17 to play. Tennessee also lost one-score games to Indianapolis, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis again before scoring twice in the final 2:40 to stun Miami the last time out behind the play of rookie quarterback Will Levis. Keep that in mind when looking at the Texans vs Titans odds.
Even with that late offensive flurry, only three teams in the NFL have scored fewer points in the fourth quarter than Tennessee. The Titans are also 27th in scoring defense in the third quarter when looking at the NFL rankings.
Tennessee is 3-6 against the NFL spread in its last nine games.
Last Meeting
Houston snapped a nine-game losing streak as running back Rex Burkhead recovered a fumble in the end zone, and Mills threw a touchdown pass with 2:52 to play to lift the Texans to a 19-14 win. Tennessee came into the game as the three-point favorite. The game fell just under the 34-point total thanks to a failed two-point conversion after the final score.
Tennessee has been favored in the last seven meetings against Houston.
Texans vs Titans Betting Preview
It was looking like a NFL matchup of rookie quarterbacks before Stroud suffered a concussion. Keep an eye on the update to see if he can go. Also, monitor the availability of Collins and Schultz.
Both teams are just 6-7 against the spread this season. Tennessee covered in its only previous game this year as the favorite at home, while Houston is 3-1 against the spread as a road underdog.
The total has gone under in six of the last seven times Houston played at Tennessee. The total has landed under in seven of Houston’s last 10 games. Twelve of Tennessee’s last 17 games also finished under. The under is currently at 38 for this game. It was in the 42-43 range before questions arose about the health of Stroud, Collins and Schultz.
Tennessee is just 5-15 over its last 20 games, and Houston has dropped 11 of its last 16 road games.
Both teams have seen just five of their games land over the total during the 2023 season.
Tennessee is 1-1 outright as the home favorite this year, while Houston is 4-3 when listed as the underdog.
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