(SportsRadio 610) - Going into the Texans' matchup against the Titans, it was a point of emphasis to set the tone physically by running the football.
The Texans had not done it well in a few weeks, but felt like they were close, as long as they stayed committed to it.
That commitment paid off Sunday as running back Devin Singletary was Houston's top offensive weapon in the 19-16 overtime victory at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
Singletary had 121 rushing yards on 26 carries. His 41-yard catch-and-run from Case Keenum in overtime was one of the biggest plays of the game, taking the Texans into Titans territory and ultimately setting up the game-winning field goal.
"It was a little scramble drill," Keenum said of the 41-yard play after the game. "We were working kind of left to right there and just was able to escape up in the pocket and Devin (Singletary) was my check-down on the play basically, and he was able to break out of that and make a really good move with nobody on that side of the field. And I got him a ball where he can run, and he did a great job getting us in field goal range."
This was more like the Singletary we saw four weeks ago, the last time he was given 20 carries or more. Singletary had a two-week stretch in November against the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals with more than 100 yards on the ground. His 150 yards on 30 carries in the win at Cincinnati in Week 10 earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
"Yeah, that was our plan, try to run the ball," Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said after the game. "We know they're tough up front and it wasn't going to be easy, but we had to stay after it. Motor (Devin Singletary) did a really nice job, the O-line did a really nice job of staying after the blocks and finishing. Motor (Devin Singletary), he had the hot hand and we continued to ride with him, and he showed up big."
