Nashville, TN (Sportsbooks) - Kerry Collins led an efficient offensive attack and Tennessee's defense held twice on fourth-and-goal down the stretch, as the Titans smashed the
Houston Texans, 31-12, in an AFC South clash.
Collins was 14-of-26 passing for 189 yards with one touchdown and an interception, and LenDale White scored twice while rushing for 49 yards. Justin McCareins hauled in four passes for 90 yards for the Titans (3-0), who started the season with three straight wins for the first time since 1999, when they eventually advanced to the Super Bowl. Cortland Finnegan returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown in the waning moments of the game, good for the longest return in franchise history.
"It feels good but this is a marathon not a sprint," Finnegan said of his team's 3-0 start.
Matt Schaub was intercepted three times and failed to throw a touchdown pass on 17-of-37 passing for 188 yards, while Steve Slaton gained 116 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown. Owen Daniels caught four balls for 71 yards for the beleaguered Texans, (0-2) who are still searching for their first win after getting destroyed, 38-17, at Pittsburgh in Week 1. Andre Johnson dropped three potential touchdown passes in the first half and finished with only two catches for 29 yards.
"In the first half, we dropped a couple of touchdowns," Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said. "In the second half, our defense played extremely well. We just didn't make plays on offense."
The Texans were scheduled to host the Baltimore Ravens last weekend, but Hurricane Ike ravaged the Houston area and ripped five panels off the retractable roof of Reliant Stadium. There was also significant water damage inside the facility, the Texans' home since their inception in 2002.
The game was then moved to Monday night before the NFL postponed the Texans/Ravens clash until November 9. Because the Texans and Cincinnati Bengals shared the same bye week, their game originally set for November 9 was moved to October 26. Houston could play at nearby Rice Stadium if its state- of-the-art facility is not ready for the team's next scheduled home game, October 5 against Indianapolis.
"It was great to be back on the field again. This is what we do for a living. We've had a long week," Kubiak said of his team's whirlwind chain of events since Hurricane Ike struck. "We're disappointed with the outcome today."
The Titans mixed it up on their last drive of the first quarter, moving 68 yards on five rushes and pass completions of 12 and 11 yards to Alge Crumpler and Bo Scaife, respectively, before Scaife reeled in a nine-yard touchdown from Collins just 14 seconds into the second quarter for a 14-6 lead.
Houston showed they could move the ball against a normally stingy Titans defense, taking the ball 75 yards in 12 plays on the ensuing possession. Slaton bounced into the end zone for a six-yard score to cut the lead to 14-12 with 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the half.
Collins and the Titans marched 74 yards in under four minutes to take a 21-12 lead on a one-yard plunge from White over a goal-line pile with 4:36 to play in the half. Each team finished out the half with its first punt of the game.
Midway through the third, a 32-yard completion from Collins to McCareins helped set up a 44-yard field goal by Rob Bironas to make the score 24-12 with about 6 1/2 minutes left in the third.
Houston opened its next possession with a deep 49-yard pass to Andre Davis, and a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty put the ball on the Titans 16. Down by two scores, Houston went for it on 4th-and-4 from the 10 after the drive stalled but Schaub's pass to Slaton out to the left side netted only one yard.
On a Texans drive that started with 12 ticks left in the third, Schaub moved the team 63 yards to the Tennessee four-yard line to set up a first-and-goal situation. Houston mustered only two yards on three plays, however, and Slaton was stuffed on 4th-and-goal with just over seven minutes left to play.
"Even though we were backed up in our red zone so many times, it's all about just playing defense," Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse said of his team's defensive effort.
Schaub was intercepted by Michael Griffin for the second time on Houston's next possession, and Finnegan put the finishing touches on the Texans' final drive by stepping in front of a Schaub pass and returning it 99 yards for a touchdown with just over a minute remaining.
"My heart goes out to those guys. They played extremely hard but we were able to make some big plays at the end," Finnegan said regarding Houston's rough stretch following Hurricane Ike.
Each team took advantage of mistakes early in a first quarter marred by three turnovers. Collins was intercepted by Jacques Reeves on the Titans first possession and a 33-yard return to the Tennessee 14 set up a 44-yard Kris Brown field goal just under three minutes in. Collins shook off the pick, however, and led the Titans on an 11-play, 77-yard drive capped off by a two- yard White touchdown with 6:33 to play in the first.
Schaub was picked off on the first play of the ensuing possession on a juggling catch by Griffin, but McCareins fumbled away a pass from Collins three plays later and Houston took over on its own 28. Slaton rumbled 50 yards up the left sideline on the next play and a personal foul moved the Texans 15 additional yards to the Tennessee 11. However, three futile attempts from inside the Titans seven-yard line led to a 24-yard field goal from Brown, and the Texans trailed 7-6 after one quarter.
Game Notes
Tennessee has won the last seven meetings with Houston and leads the all-time series, 11-2...One notable inactive for the Texans was running back Ahman Green, while Tennessee was without quarterback Vince Young for a second straight game because of a knee injury and personal issues. Wide receiver Justin Gage and running back Chris Henry were also inactive...The Texans have not claimed victory at Tennessee since a 20-10 victory on October 17, 2004...Collins' 17-yard completion to McCareins in the second quarter made him the 15th quarterback in NFL history to surpass 35,000 passing yards...It was Finnegan's fourth game in a row with an interception dating back to last season. He now leads the NFL with four interceptions this season...Schaub now has five interceptions through the team's first two games...The Texans are the first team since the 1991 Phoenix Cardinals to open the season with three straight road games and will be the first franchise since the 1990 Cleveland Browns to play three consecutive road contests and four home games in a row during the same season...The Titans will host the Vikings next Sunday while the Texans travel to take on Jacksonville, also on Sunday.
