(SportsRadio 610) - Thanks to Ka'imi Fairbairn's 54-yard field goal as time expired in overtime, the Texans made sure the Tennessee Titans will have a Columbia Blue, Blue, Blue, Blue Christmas.
On a throwback Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium, where everything but the halls was decked with boughs of Columbia Blue and the Oilers logo, the injury-decimated Texans overcame a 13-point deficit to defeat the Titans 19-16 on Fairbairn's fourth field goal.
Coach DeMeco Ryans and his players celebrated because they overcame injuries to starters C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, Will Anderson Jr., Blake Cashman and George Fant, won for the sixth time in the last 30 seconds and elevated their record to 8-6. On Sunday night, after Case Keenum ignited the victory, the Texans discovered they'd moved into a three-way tie for first place in the AFC South with Jacksonville and Indianapolis because the Jaguars lost to Baltimore.
While the Texans were celebrating, the Titans were sulking because they blew a 13-0 lead, were officially eliminated from playoff contention and couldn't win at home on a day when they added Billy "White Shoes" Johnson to their Ring of Honor and hosted a lot of Oilers from the Luv Ya Blue era, including Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell. Even coach Mike Vrabel wearing a Stetson in pregame warmups to honor Bum Phillips couldn't inspire his team to a victory.
"For our guys, it's not about uniforms," Ryans said when asked about the Titans wearing the Oilers' Columbia Blue. "It's about being effective when we're on the field doing what we're supposed to do to win a game. We don't care what we're wearing or what the other team's wearing.
"It was a huge win for us. Credit to our guys. The Titans are a tough team. Play after play, somebody stepping up making plays. Our last outing (30-6 loss to Jets) wasn't our brand of football, so everybody had a bad taste in their mouth. We competed hard, and we came out on the right side."
The Texans played their most physical game of the season. They ran for 148 yards – their second-best output of the season -- including 121 by Devin Singletary. Keenum, who had started two games in four seasons, was a surprise starter over Davis Mills. Keenum finished with 23-of-36 for 229 yards and a touchdown. He threw a 3-yard scoring pass to Noah Brown (eight catches, 82 yards) and a pick-6 that gave the Titans a 13-0 advantage.
The most impressive thing the Texans did was shut down running back Derrick Henry in embarrassing fashion and bury rookie quarterback Will Levis under an avalanche of seven sacks, including 2.5 by Jonanthan Greenard, who now has 12.5. Henry, who averaged 203.6 yards and 7.1 a carry in his last five games against the Texans, carried 16 times for 9 yards – the first time he's been limited to fewer than 10 as a starter during his eight-year career. As if that wasn't bad enough, Henry gained 1 yard on four catches. The defense swarmed to him like sharks feasting on chum.
"It was awesome defense by everybody, the way the (linemen) were penetrating and playing on their (Titans) side of the line of scrimmage," Ryans said. "It really stifled their run game. We were in the backfield a ton. When you're able to do that, it kind of takes them out of the run game."
Greenard and Maliek Collins (1.5) had multiple sacks. Derek Barnett, Khalil Davis and Desmond King II had one apiece.
"We're really proud of the D-line because that's where it starts, the way they were able to get pressure on Levis," Ryans said. "I can't single out one guy on the defensive line because it was everybody making plays. Multiple guys got sacks because they rushed together as a unit."
The defense limited the Titans to 66 yards rushing and 2.2 a carry. DeAndre Hopkins had two catches for 21 yards and was targeted nine times. Steven Nelson intercepted Levis when he took the ball away from Hopkins on a deep pass down the left sideline. Nelson, King, Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre were the defensive backs who put on impressive performances after losing Jimmie Ward to a concussion in the first quarter.
In five quarters, counting overtime, the Titans had only 121 yards after starting the game with an 83-yard touchdown drive that Levis finished with a 1-yard run. Levis was knocked down 11 times, including three times by Greenard, and the Texans recorded 12 tackles for loss.
Ryans gave the game ball to Fairbairn. After missing five games because of a thigh injury, he connected on field goals of 23, 27, 53 and 54 yards for special teams that were outstanding.
After the game, Ryans was asked why he started Keenum over Mills.
"I felt like it gave us the best chance to win this game," he said. "Case did a really nice job being very efficient, keeping us moving, and no play bigger than the play there at the end. Seeing him scramble around to find (Singletary) for the big, explosive pass to put us in field goal range. He hadn't played in a while, but he was ready for the moment. He let our guys know he was ready for the moment, and he showed up and made big-time plays."
Two plays stood out, both off schedule after he was forced to scramble. On the only touchdown drive, Keenum found tight end Dalton Schultz for a 15-yard gain to the Tennessee 3. Schultz made a tremendous catch. Keenum threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Brown three plays later.
In overtime, Keenum moved around to buy time and spied Singletary alone on the right side. Keenum hit Singletary perfectly, and he gained 41 yards to set up the game-winning field goal.
"Case has the experience," Ryans said. "He's been there, he's done that, He told the guys this isn't his first rodeo. He's won big games, and this was a big game for us. It wasn't too big for him. I think running the ball well, something we hadn't done the last couple of weeks, helped Case and the offense. The way (Singletary) ran the ball, the way Case played efficiently, Noah and Dalton making big plays -- everybody stepping up when they needed to.
"It shows that there's no quit in our team, and it shows that no matter what the situation is, no matter what the clock says, we have an opportunity to win the game. Our guys have been battle-tested. They've been in those moments, so nobody's panicking when we're in those situations. We can win it in any form or fashion."
The Titans made a fashion statement that backfired. The Texans made a statement they're a first-place team with plans to win the AFC South or make the playoffs as a wild card team.
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on SportsRadio 610 and Monday, Thursday and Sunday on Texans Radio, also on SportsRadio 610. He writes five columns a week and does three Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.
