Jim Wyatt
SENIOR WRITER/EDITOR
HOUSTON, Texas – Quarterback Marcus Mariota was nearly perfect on Monday night.
Unfortunately, the Titans were not.
And because of it, the Titans lost to the Texans 34-17 here at NRG Stadium. The Titans (5-6) are now three games behind the Texans (8-3) in the AFC South.
Mariota started the game completing his first 19 passes, and he was 19-of-19 for 271 yards and two touchdowns at one point before throwing his first incompletion late in the game. Mariota finished the game 22-of-23 for 304 yards with a 147.7 passer rating.
But Mariota was also sacked six times, and the Titans sputtered on offense after a fast start. On defense, the Titans gave up too many big plays, both in the running game and passing game.
It all added up to another frustration night.
The Titans jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead over the Texans, but things changed quickly.
The Titans took a 3-0 lead on their first possession on a 31-yard field goal by kicker Ryan Succop. On their next series, Mariota connected with tight end Jonnu Smith for a 61-yard touchdown. On the play, Smith caught a short pass in the middle of the field, and then outraced everyone to the end zone to make it 10-0.
But the Texans quickly answered back with 27 straight points, starting with quarterback Deshaun Watson’s 12-yard touchdown pass to receiver Demaryius Thomas, which made it 10-7. At the start of the second quarter, the Texans surged ahead 14-10 on a 15-yard touchdown run by Watson.
The Titans were on the verge of reclaiming the lead, inside the Houston five early in the second quarter. But tight end Luke Stocker, lined up in the backfield as a fullback, was stuffed for no gain on a 4th and 1 at the three-yard line.
On the next play, the Texans jumped out to a 21-10 lead on a 97-yard touchdown run by running back Lamar Miller. The Texans made it 24-10 at the half on a 43-yard field goal by kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn. Another Fairbairn kick, this one from 47 yards, made it 27-10 with 8:53 left in the third quarter.
The Titans cut the lead to 27-17 on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Mariota to receiver Corey Davis. It was Mariota’s 16th completion in a row to start the game.
The Titans couldn’t get a stop when they needed it after that, and the Texans surged back ahead 34-17 on another Watson-to-Thomas touchdown pass with 8:15 left.
The Titans face the Jets on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
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