The defense was the engine behind the Titans’ success in their 31-12 win over the winless Texans.
Texan QB Matt Schaub was finally able to finish a game against the Titans, but overall, he had a miserable day, completing less than half of his passes (17/37) while throwing three interceptions.
My thoughts on the game, after the jump.
Game balls
Cortland Finnegan’s breakout season continued today. He sealed the win for the Titans with his 99-yard interception return for a TD. Finny, who has intercepted a pass in each of the Titans’ first three games, is well on his way to making his first trip to Hawaii next February.
Speaking of emerging young players, safety Michael Griffin also had a stellar day against the Texans, as he intercepted two Matt Schaub passes.
My final game ball goes to the Titan running game. Chris Johnson and LenDale White led a Tennessee rushing attack that gained 154 yards on the afternoon. White showed a nice burst at times in his two touchdown effort, and CJ continued to make guys miss in his 74 yard performance.
During the first two games, Johnson received the bulk of his carries in the beginning of the game with White serving as the battering ram in the second half. Against the Texans, the roles reversed, with White’s work coming mostly in the first half and CJ’s opportunities coming predominantly in the second half.
Dinger’s doing a great job of giving opposing defensive coordinators something extra to think about as they prepare to face the powerful Titan rushing attack.
Less than inspiring performances
Rookie Steve Slaton had his way running the ball against the Titan defense. Last week, it was the shifty Chris Perry who had some success and this week, Slaton consistently utilized his abilities to make defenders miss as he rushed for 116 yards on 18 carries.
Man-child Adrian Peterson is coming to Nashville next weekend so it’s imperative that the Titans fix their run defense issues in a hurry.
Justin McCareins finished the game with four catches for 90 yards, but his fumble in the first half killed a drive that had six points written all over it. Justin, who was the talk of OTA’s, needs to step it up if he expects to keep his starting spot.
Final thoughts
-The Titans continued their success in the red zone today, scoring touchdowns on all three of their opportunities. That’s now an impressive 7/8 (87.5%) in the red zone this year.
-The Titans’ defense did a great job preventing the Texans from scoring in the red zone. The Texans scored only once in six chances inside the Titan twenty.
-Overshadowed by Finnegan and Griffen, CB Eric King had a solid day, breaking up numerous passes while making three tackles.
– William Hayes played a lot and showed some good speed. However, he was consistently fooled on Matt Schaub rollouts. The sound of that angry voice is Washburn chewing Hayes out as I type.
– I bet Albert Haynesworth and the Titan defense wish they could face Matt Schaub more than twice a year. Boy, do they have his number.
So what are your thoughts on the Titans’ third consecutive victory?
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