THE Tennessee Titans I wore retro clothes Houston Oilers uniforms twice against the Houston Texans.
Both times they lost to new faces from H-Town, including Sunday at Nissan Stadium in the regular season finale, 23-14.
Week 18 went as well as Houston could have hoped for before entering the playoffs. CJ Stroud and the first team offense ran down the field on the first drive and scored. Joe Mixon and Nico Collins each surpassed 1,000 yards and the defense improved its run stopping compared to the previous game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Houston has already secured the fourth seed, but head coach DeMeco Ryans felt it was necessary to get the team back on track before the playoffs. The Texans will face the Chargers in a wild-card round at NRG Stadium next week.
Houston avoided a sweep against the Titans and earned their 10th win of the season, giving them 10 straight wins for the first time since 2019. Below are five takeaways from the Texans’ victory.
Dameon Pierce is having a career day
There was a period where the Houston Texans found themselves in one of the worst situations in the league due to some bad moves in hindsight, but that allowed younger players to earn more opportunities.
Dameon Pierce was a bright spot for the 3-13-1 Texas team in 2022 when he rushed for nearly 1,000 yards. Pierce’s role has diminished over the past two seasons, but he shined Sunday against the Titans with a career-high 176 yards on 19 carries, including a 92-yard touchdown run.
It was the second-longest rushing drive in franchise history and the longest rushing touchdown of the year in the NFL this season.
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The third-year guard has struggled with injuries the past two seasons, but with limited playing time in 2024, Pierce has shown himself capable of producing on the field for the Texans.
He remains an effective backup behind Joe Mixon moving forward.
Davis Mills could be a trade target this offseason
Many NFL teams are in need of a quarterback and the upcoming draft class is not filled with bootable prospects for Week 1. More teams around the league have started giving away alumni starters turned replacements have the chance to take over the QB1 position.
Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold are former starters who found success with new teams later in their careers.
Could Mills do the same?
Mills started 26 games in his first two NFL seasons and threw for 5,782 yards and 33 touchdowns. He was also once the top-ranked quarterback in his high school recruiting class, which included Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones and Kenny Pickett.
There are no 32 QBs better than Davis Mills
– Jacob (@TexansJacob) January 5, 2025
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Mills played well throughout the preseason and looked ready Sunday in the regular season finale. He finished 12 of 22 with 128 yards, protecting the football en route to the Texans’ victory.
Mills is a better option than a rookie starting quarterback, so teams might be interested in luring him away from Houston this offseason.
Houston signed Mills to a one-year, $5 million extension before the season, so that clearly values him, but if the right offer comes along, he could be on the move.
Derek Barnett joins JJ Watt in Texans history
Texans defensive end Derek Barnett had a better Sunday than most. He earned an additional $250,000 for playing 35 percent of Houston’s defensive snaps. Barnett entered the contest with a 34.5 percent and spent most of the day in the field, which counts.
Barnett finished with two tackles for loss, a sack, three quarterback hits and a 36-yard fumble returned for a touchdown. Barnett scored two fumble return touchdowns this season, making him the first Texans defender to score multiple defensive touchdowns in a season since JJ Watt in 2014.
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Barnett joined the Texans late last season on waivers and found a home in Houston as a rotational pass rusher after seven years in Philadelphia. He joined one of the Texas legends in the franchise history books.
Texans defense recovers
Gashed is the only way to describe what happened to the Texans’ run defense on Christmas against the Baltimore Ravens, who used trap and run calls to counter Houston’s aggressiveness along the defensive line .
Houston doesn’t have a lot of size inside, so he tries to compensate for that by getting up the field quickly. Baltimore took advantage and used heavy personnel and multiple trap and strike calls to put the Texans in bad positions on the field.
Houston looked much better against the run on Sunday, allowing 85 yards on 32 attempts against the Titans. CBS analyst Ross Tucker also pointed out that the Texans have improved their communication on the traps.
No matter who Houston plays in the Wild Card, both utilize diverse ground games, so the Texans must be ready to take on whatever they see.
Diontae Johnson makes her debut
After a rocky stint with the Baltimore Ravens, Diontae Johnson made his debut with the Houston Texans on Sunday. The former Steelers and Panthers receiver, who was a former No. 1 option, found himself on waivers after more than a month with the Ravens.
Houston needed help at receiver after Tank Dell was injured for the season against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans were already short Stefon Diggs for the season after he tore his ACL against the Indianapolis Colts.
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Johnson did not play against the Ravens on Christmas as he learned more of the offensive playbook, delaying his debut for the regular season finale. Johnson finished with just two catches for 12 yards on four targets.
Johnson can be a viable No. 2 for Nico Collins, and Houston needs him to be just that in the playoffs. Johnson will be a free agent at the end of the season and will try to improve his status in hopes of signing a long-term contract.
This article was originally published on Texans Wire: Key takeaways from the Texans’ dominant win over the Titans
