The Houston Texans (7-4) head home to NRG Stadium to face off against the Tennessee Titans (2-8) in what could have ramifications for the AFC South division race.
The Texans have opened as an 8.5-point home favorite against the Titans in Week 12, according to BetMGM. The over/under is set at 41.5
Behind a three-touchdown performance from running back Joe Mixon, the Texans secured bragging rights in the Lone Star State with a 34-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on “Monday Night Football” to close out Week 11.
Mixon, who’s averaged 101.3 yards per game over his last five outings, finished with 109 rushing yards and 53 total yards while helping Houston break its nine-quarter drought without a touchdown in the second half.
“Joe, when he’s on, he’s a force for us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “The run game starts with our offensive line. I challenged them to play fast, play aggressive. I thought they did a really nice job. I really like the way we just kept churning it in the run game, and proud of the guys for stepping up to the challenge.”
Mixon tied a Texans single-game record for rushing touchdowns, becoming the fourth player in franchise history to accomplish the feat. He also secured his 10 rushing touchdown of the season, which marks the highest number of rushing scores by a Texans player since Arian Foster in 2012.
Meanwhile, the Titans never found a rhythm after a third-quarter 98-yard touchdown pass from Will Levis to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in a 23-15 loss against the Minnesota Vikings at Nissan Stadium.
Expectations weren’t high for Tennessee entering the year under new head coach Brian Callahan, but with a pair of wins over a 3-8 New England Patriots roster and a Miami Dolphins squad without Tua Tagovailoa, even that’s a tad disappointing.
With a victory, Houston would improve to 4-0 in the division. Despite having the lowest record among division leaders, the Texans could actually clinch the AFC South division with wins over Tennessee and Jacksonville heading into the bye week.
Kickoff from NRG Stadium is scheduled for noon CT.