The Texans–Titans rivalry is an intense rivalry, pitting the Tennessee Titans (formerly the Houston Oilers) with Houston's present-day team, the Texans.[2] The 2002 expansion and conference realignment by the NFL put a new team into Houston. With the expansion Texans in place, the NFL's realignment created the AFC South and put the two teams together as division rivals. During the 2000s, the Titans dominated the rivalry before the Texans would gain the upperhand in the 2010s.[3]
The Titans lead the overall series, 24–21. The two teams have not met in the playoffs.[1]
Background
The Tennessee Titans were initially established as a Houston-based franchise known as the "Houston Oilers," debuting in the first season of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. Despite achieving playoff success and featuring Hall of Fame players, the Oilers were unable to reach the Super Bowl. Bud Adams, the team's owner, expressed dissatisfaction with the Astrodome, considering it outdated, and sought a new stadium. In 1995, following unsuccessful negotiations, he opted to relocate the Oilers to Nashville, Tennessee, where they were rebranded as the Tennessee Titans. Houston was without an NFL team until the 2002 season when the league declared the return of football to the city with the establishment of the Houston Texans. Additionally, the NFL introduced realignments to its two conferences with each having North, South, East and West divisions. In the newly formed AFC South, the NFL placed the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Indianapolis Colts. Consequently, the Texans and Titans were scheduled to face each other twice annually: once in Houston and once in Nashville.[4]
History
2010s
The bitterness of the rivalry has led to fistfights between the teams during games. One notable fight was on November 28, 2010, when Texans receiver Andre Johnson and Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan exchanged blows after a play and were ejected. The Texans won that game 20–0.[5]
The rivalry became more competitive in 2011 as both teams were in the hunt for the division title most of the year. In Week 7, the Titans hosted the Texans in a match-up for the division lead and was the home field favorite while Houston was coming off of a 2-game losing streak. The Texans won 41–7 and went on to win the division that year.[6] In Week 17, Houston hosted Tennessee; the Titans had to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Titans won on a botched two-point conversion try by the Texans, who were trying for the win.[7] However, they were eliminated from postseason contention due to the Denver Broncos losing against the Kansas City Chiefs 7–3. If Tennessee had qualified to play in the NFL playoffs, they would have played the Texans in the AFC Wild-Card round.
In 2018, the Texans won the AFC South at 11–5, and split with Tennessee. The Texans would play either the Titans or Colts in the upcoming Wild Card game, depending on the Sunday Night Football winner between the two. The Colts won 33–17, eliminating the Titans from the playoffs at 9–7 and setting up a wild-card match between the Texans and Colts. Had the Titans won, it would've been the first meeting in the playoffs between the two teams, similar to 2011.
The Texans vs. the Titans at Nissan Stadium in Week 15, 2019.
In 2019, the Texans Week 15 road game against Titans marked the first time that both teams were 8–5 at the same time. The Texans beat the Titans 24–21,[8] and in Week 16 the Texans won the AFC South after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23–20. In the final week of regular season, the Titans faced the Texans on the road. The Titans needed to win the game or a Pittsburgh Steelers loss against the Baltimore Ravens in order to make the playoffs. Behind a 211-yard, three-touchdown day from running back Derrick Henry and the Texans resting starters, the Titans won 35–14 to clinch the sixth seed in the playoffs.[9]
2020s
The most competitive games in the history of the rivalry came in 2020. On October 18 the Texans traveled to Nissan Stadium under interim coach Romeo Crennel, taking over for the fired Bill O'Brien. The Texans erased a 21–7 gap to lead 36–29, but the Titans stormed down and scored with seven seconds left. In overtime the Titans got first possession and advanced 82 yards on six plays ending in a direct snap touchdown run by Derrick Henry.[10] In the second meeting of the 2020 season, Sam Sloman kicked a 37-yard field goal that bounced off the right upright and in to give Tennessee the 41–38 win. This was the highest-scoring game (79 points) in the history of the rivalry after the previous game set the record at 78 points.
Texans join the National Football League (NFL) as an expansion team. During the NFL realignment, the Texans and Titans are placed in the newly created AFC South in the American Football Conference (AFC), resulting in two meetings annually. Titans make their first visit back to Houston since departing in the 1996 season when they were known as the Houston Oilers.
Both teams finished with 9–7 records, but the Texans clinched the AFC South based on a better division record, eliminating the Titans from playoff contention.
In Houston, Texans record their largest victory against the Titans with a 43–point differential and set a franchise record for their most points scored in a game.
In Houston, Titans tied their largest victory against the Texans with a 21–point differential and clinched the final playoff berth in the AFC with their win.
In Nashville, Titans score their most points in a game against the Texans and accumulated 607 total yards, setting a franchise record for their most total yards in a game. In Houston, Titans clinch the AFC South for the first time since the 2008 season with their win and achieve their first season series sweep against the Texans since the 2007 season.
