No Stroud, No Problem - Houston Beats Tennessee in OT

The Houston Texans moved on to 8-6 on Sunday as they took down their division rival, the Tennessee Titans, 19-16, without starting Quarterback CJ Stroud. The defenses demanded the people's attention on Sunday, delivering blow after blow in an exciting game down to the wire.

Houston ran the ball well, led by Running back Devin Singletary, who ran for 121 yards on 26 carries, breaking 100 yards for the third time this year. Case Keenum played well enough in Stroud's absence to win despite getting sacked four times and hit six times. Keenum went 23/36, throwing for 229 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Notably, Keenum led Houston down the field with 1:43 on the clock in overtime to set up a Ka'imi Fairbairn 54-yard game-winning field goal. Wide Receiver Noah Brown stepped up big with CJ out and caught eight balls for 82 yards and a touchdown.

The dominant Texans' front seven are the significant contributors to Sunday's win, who made Will Levis's day a nightmare. Levis was sacked an astounding seven times and hit eleven times overall. Levis struggled mightily under the pressure, completing 17/29 passes for 199 yards and an interception. Little blame can be put on Levis as he was under duress all game and got little help from his running game. Derrick Henry was bottled up for only nine yards on 16 carries, his lowest rushing total of the season. It goes without saying that this Titans offensive line needs to be reworked and redone, as Levis has been under heavy duress all season.

Next week the Texans face off against Cleveland and, according to Adam Schefter, they will possibly be without CJ Stroud again as he is still in concussion protocol. Facing a formidable defense may be a tall task for Case Keenum and company. If they want to win this game and further improve their chances as the AFC South Champions, the rushing attack and defense must be at the best of their ability.