Texans dominate Titans 26-0 for first win of the season

HOUSTON (AP) Houston's defense got its first shutout in almost 15 years and the offense did the rest Sunday against the Tennessee Titans to give the Houston Texans their first win of the season.

Rookie Woody Marks had a touchdown reception and ran for another score in the 26-0 victory.

“When we go out and execute the right way that’s what it can look like,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We’ve been there. We just haven’t played clean football."

It's the third time the Texans have shut out a team and the first time since blanking the Titans 29-0 on Nov. 28, 2010. The Titans were shut out for the first time since a 16-0 loss at Denver on Oct. 13, 2019.

“To get a shutout, which doesn’t happen much and hasn’t happened much here, I’m very proud of those guys for the effort that they showed today,” Ryans said.

C.J. Stroud threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns as the Texans scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter Sunday to put the game away and match their TD total in the previous three games combined.

The Texans (1-3) led 6-0 after two first-half field goals, but neither team got into the red zone until a 17-yard grab by Nico Collins put Houston on the 12 on the last play of the third quarter. Stroud connected with Marks for a TD on the next play, but the 2-point try failed to leave the Texans up 12-0.

Derek Stingley picked off rookie first overall pick Cam Ward on the next drive and returned it 20 yards. The Texans cashed in on that mistake when Stroud threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to rookie Jayden Higgins to push the lead to 19-0 with about 9 ½ minutes to go.

An 18-yard touchdown run by Marks, a fourth-round pick from USC, made it 26-0 with less than five minutes remaining.

Marks believes his versatility has helped him succeed early in his NFL career.

“Catching the ball out of the backfield, making the defense kind of don’t know what you’re gonna do,” he said. “He can run it in between the tackles, outside, he can catch the ball out of the backfield. I think that's a big plus for the offense.”

Marks had 69 yards rushing and 50 yards receiving.

“He's just a playmaker and you get playmakers the ball,” Collins said. “We know what type of guy Woody is and that he can make plays in the biggest moments and you seen what he did. We all seen it.”

Stroud said he enjoyed watching Marks play in college and that they utilized him in a similar way Sunday.

“I thought he was really elusive, really crafty, I thought he did a good job since those days in the Lincoln Riley offense,” Stroud said. “Today we kind of used him in that light, spread him out, give him some familiarity running the ball on some plays that he’s ran before, and he’s very dynamic pass catcher.”

It wasn’t a great performance by the Texans, but they did plenty to take care of a Tennessee team that hasn’t got its offense going this season despite the addition Ward. He was 10 of 26 for 108 yards with the interception.

“At this point we have nothing to lose,” Ward said. “We dropped a quarter of our games, and we have yet to do anything, so we have to lock in, especially myself.”

The loss drops the Titans to 0-4 and extends their skid to 10 games going back to last season to tie their longest losing streak since moving from Houston to Tennessee in 1997. Their previous 10-game skid came when they dropped the final 10 games of the 2014 season.

Three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons, who along with Amani Hooker is the longest-tenured player on the roster, is frustrated that the Titans haven't improved this season.

“We’re playing bad football," he said. “Simple, we’re not playing good football right now, and I’m tired of hearing the same thing coming into the locker room, and I’m tired of saying it, we gotta play better.”

Second-year coach Brian Callahan falls to 3-18 and is certainly on the hot seat as the Titans continue to struggle.

Ka’imi Fairbairn made field goals of 47 and 43 yards in the first half to give the Texans the lead. He missed from 54 yards on Houston’s first drive of the second half before the offense got moving late.

The Titans had chances to get on the board in the first half, but Joey Slye missed a 41-yard field-goal attempt on Tennessee’s first possession and his 43-yard attempt at the end of the first half was wide right.

Danielle Hunter sacked Ward two times and four other players had hits on the rookie, who has been sacked 17 times this season.

Hunter has four sacks this season to give him 103 1/2 in his 10-year career.

The Titans visit Arizona next Sunday and Houston travels to Baltimore.

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