Titans in search of solutions as losing streak continues
HOUSTON — J.J. Watt had no answer for why the Titans consistently declined to double-team him.
“I don’t know. I do not know, but they did,” the All-Pro defensive end said. “I told them they shouldn’t have.”
The Texans tied a single-game franchise record with seven sacks on quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who hobbled off the field battered and gasping in the final minutes of the Titans’ sixth consecutive defeat, 20-6, on Sunday at NRG Stadium.
It was the second time this season the Titans (1-6, 0-2 AFC South) allowed seven sacks in a game. Tennessee has lost 16 of its last 17 games.
Whitney Mercilus was credited with 3½ sacks and nearly had another on a play when he was flagged for roughing the passer because his hand struck Mettenberger’s helmet. Watt finished with 2½ sacks and tied his own franchise record with nine of the team’s 14 quarterback hits. He also forced a fumble.
“We tried a bunch of different things to try to counter (the pass rush), but we lost matchups,” Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “We slid the line and we doubled the guy, we chipped. … At some point in this game it comes down to one-on-one matchups.”
Mettenberger, starting his second consecutive game in place of injured Marcus Mariota, who sprained a knee ligament on a late hit during a loss to the Dolphins on Oct. 18, committed two of the Titans’ three turnovers and is winless in eight career starts.
He was intercepted by rookie corner Kevin Johnson to begin the fourth quarter, on a pass thrown behind Dorial Green-Beckham, and fumbled deep in Titans territory on Watt’s second sack. He completed 22 of 31 pass attempts for 171 yards, the pick and a 70.8 passer rating.
In the visitors’ locker room, Titans offensive linemen lashed out at questions, their frustration palpable.
“We played like (expletive) today,” left tackle Taylor Lewan said. “We’re upset about it. We need to do better. I need to do better.”
“All I can do is my job,” right guard Chance Warmack said, stopping briefly on his way out the door. “All I can do is play guard, right guard for the Tennessee Titans. I don’t know how it’s going to get better. I don’t know anything like that.”
Rookie right tackle Jeremiah Poutasi struggled and was benched for the second time in three games in favor of veteran Jamon Meredith.
“You really can’t game-plan for a guy like (Watt),” Poutasi said. “Hats off to him. That’s a good defense and he’s a good player.”
Houston managed just 56 rushing yards on 23 carries, a week after losing star running back Arian Foster for the season to a torn Achilles tendon. But DeAndre Hopkins and former Titans receiver Nate Washington each caught long touchdowns to send the Texans (3-5, 2-1 AFC South) into their bye week on a high note, despite losing three of their previous four games.
Hopkins grabbed a 21-yard touchdown over Jason McCourty to give the Texans a 7-3 lead in the second quarter, and Washington caught a 42-yard score over Coty Sensabaugh for a 17-6 advantage late in the third. Houston needed just over two minutes and six plays to zip 80 yards and take the insurmountable lead.
Brian Hoyer completed 23 of 35 passes for 235 yards, the two touchdowns and a 103.9 passer rating.
Tennessee converted just one of 12 third downs and is 4-of-31 on third down the last three weeks.
The Titans have lost six straight against AFC South opponents and 12 in a row against AFC foes since edging the Jaguars 16-14 on Oct. 12, 2014. They’ve lost six of their last seven against the Texans.
“Whatever it took today. Whatever it took,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “We had to get the win. It wasn’t pretty, but who cares? It’s a win.”
Bishop Sankey fumbled the kickoff after Hopkins’ touchdown, and Houston turned the excellent field position into a 10-3 advantage when Nick Novak hit a 38-yard field goal. Novak also hit a 24-yard field goal after Mettenberger’s fourth-quarter fumble.
Sankey, the first running back drafted in 2014, didn’t get a carry for the second week in a row and was replaced on kick returns by Dexter McCluster after his fumble and a muff, which he recovered.
Antonio Andrews, undrafted last season, led the way on the ground with 64 yards on 16 carries. But nearly half of his total came on one 28-yard burst.
The Titans had 68 total yards of offense at halftime, 27 passing and 41 rushing, but only trailed 10-3. They finished with 211 yards.
“It is a combination of things,” Mettenberger said. “I have to get the ball out of my hand, we have to win our one-one-ones up front. We tried to do a lot of things, but obviously just poor execution on that part.”
The Titans had an early lead after driving 59 yards in 10 plays on their first possession, which ended with a 35-yard field goal by Ryan Succop. Succop added a 44-yard field goal to trim the Titans’ deficit to 10-6 with 5:54 to play in the third quarter.
The Texans had allowed an average of 35 points per game over the previous four weeks.
“You’ve got to have something to play for. You’ve got to be motivated,” McCourty said. “If you didn’t really believe that we could turn things around, there’d be no point of coming into work tomorrow. … At this point, you can’t fire everybody and start over. You’ve got to keep going. I don’t know what else to do.”
Reach Jason Wolf at jwolf@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter @JasonWolf and on Instagram at TitansBeat.