Texans rookies deliver on defense with 19-14 edging of the Titans

The Houston Texans finally broke through their slump and delivered on Sunday to find a win 19-14 over the Tennessee Titans. It had been a long time coming for coach Lovie Smith and the whole roster with only one win through the first 15 weeks of the season.

Their victory was in large part fueled by a great game plan from Smith and an excellent performance from the defense. Running back Derrick Henry was still dominant with 126 yards and a touchdown but it still wasn’t enough with how the Texans were able to man handle rookie quarterback Malik Willis.

Willis was held to 99 yards on 14-23 passing and threw two key interceptions to second-round safety Jalen Pitre and third-round linebacker Christian Harris. The two defensive rookies have been stars the past month for Houston’s defense and this week it finally translated to a winning effort.

Christian Harris read this one beautifully.

Malik Willis looked every bit the part of a project-quarterback today and Harris punished him for tracking so blatantly. Really good stuff #WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/dNRYYrKNq9

— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) December 24, 2022

Harris had six total tackles and two passes defended while playing a key role in shutting down the running game and using his speed to key on Willis’ running ability. It was a long way from the effort he showed in his NFL debut against the Titans where he registered just one tackle earlier this season. His interception late in the fourth quarterback was practically a gift from Willis but a great example of Harris putting himself in the right position to make a play.

Meanwhile, Pitre lead the team with nine total tackles and brought the enforcer mentality that has gained him national recognition the second half of the season. After missing a key tackle early in the game that allowed Henry to rumble in for a score, he made up for that effort with the game clinching interception on the Titans final Hail Mary attempt.

Jalen pitre having 126 tackles and 4 ints as a rookie is really bonkers.

— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) December 24, 2022

Houston has to feel encouraged their high-capital rookies are starting to play up to their talent potential and draft status. They’ll have a much bigger challenge next week as they try to maintain their winning streak against Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars.