Texans–Titans rivalry
| First meeting |
November 10, 2002 Titans 17, Texans 10 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting |
September 16, 2018 Titans 20, Texans 17 |
| Next meeting | November 26, 2018 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 33 |
| All-time series | Titans lead, 18–15–0 |
| Largest victory |
43 points HOU 57, TEN 14 (October 1, 2017) |
| Smallest victory |
HOU 13, TEN 12 (2008) TEN 23, HOU 22 (2011) |
| Current win streak | Titans, 2 win |
| Championship Success | |
Division Championships (13) | |
The Texans–Titans rivalry is a professional American football rivalry in the National Football League (NFL) between the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans.
The Texans–Titans rivalry is an intense rivalry, pitting the Tennessee Titans (formerly based in Houston as the Houston Oilers) with Houston's present-day team, the Texans. The 2002 expansion and conference realignment by the NFL put a new team into Houston. With the expansion Texans in place, the NFL's realignment created the AFC South and put the two teams together as division rivals. Following the 2016 matchups between the teams, the Titans lead the series 16–14. In the first meeting of the 2017 season, the Texans defeated the Titans 57–14, the largest victory in the series for either team. In the second meeting, the Titans won 24–13. The Titans now lead the series 17–15.
History
Origins
The roots can be planted back to 1996, when the former Houston Oilers relocated to Tennessee and rebranded the franchise as the Titans in 1999. Houston was awarded a new franchise in 2002 dubbed the Texans, and fans have quarreled over who was the better team in Houston.
2010s
The bitterness of the rivalry has led to fistfights between the teams during games. One notable fight was on November 28, 2010, when Texans receiver Andre Johnson and Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan exchanged blows after a play and were ejected. The Texans finished that game 20–0.[1]
The rivalry became more competitive in 2011 as both teams were in the hunt for the division title most of the year. In Week 7, the Titans hosted the Texans in a match-up for the division lead and was the home field favorite while Houston was coming off of a 2-game losing streak. The Texans won 41–7 and went on to win the division that year.[2] In Week 17, Houston hosted Tennessee; the Titans had to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Titans won on a botched two-point conversion try by the Texans, who were trying for the win.[3] Due to the playoff scenarios, the Titans missed the playoffs. If Tennessee had qualified to play in the NFL playoffs, they would have played the Texans in the AFC Wild-Card round.
Game results
2000s (Titans 12–4)
| Season | Date | Winner | Result | Location | Record Titans-Texans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | November 10 | Tennessee Titans | 17–10 | The Coliseum (Nashville) | 1-0 |
| December 29 | Tennessee Titans | 13–3 | Reliant Stadium (Houston) | 2-0 | |
| 2003 | October 12 | Tennessee Titans | 38–17 | The Coliseum (Nashville) | 3-0 |
| December 21 | Tennessee Titans | 27–24 | Reliant Stadium (Houston) | 4-0 | |
| 2004 | October 17 | Houston Texans | 20–10 | The Coliseum (Nashville) | 4-1 |
| November 28 | Houston Texans | 31–21 | Reliant Stadium (Houston) | 4-2 | |
| 2005 | October 9 | Tennessee Titans | 34–20 | Reliant Stadium (Houston) | 5-2 |
| December 11 | Tennessee Titans | 13–10 | The Coliseum (Nashville) | 6-2 | |
| 2006 | October 29 | Tennessee Titans | 28–22 | LP Field (Nashville) | 7-2 |
| December 10 | Tennessee Titans | 26–20 (OT) | Reliant Stadium (Houston) | 8-2 | |
| 2007 | October 21 | Tennessee Titans | 38–36 | Reliant Stadium (Houston) | 9-2 |
| December 2 | Tennessee Titans | 31–28 | LP Field (Nashville) | 10-2 | |
| 2008 | September 21 | Tennessee Titans | 31–12 | LP Field (Nashville) | 11-2 |
| December 14 | Houston Texans | 13–12 | Reliant Stadium (Houston) | 11-3 | |
| 2009 | September 20 | Houston Texans | 34–31 | LP Field (Nashville) | 11-4 |
| November 23 | Tennessee Titans | 20–17 | Reliant Stadium (Houston) | 12-4 |
2010s (Texans 11–6)
| Season | Date | Winner | Result | Location | Record Titans-Texans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | November 28 | Houston Texans | 20–0 | Reliant Stadium (Houston) | 12-5 |
| December 19 | Tennessee Titans | 31–17 | LP Field (Nashville) | 13-5 | |
| 2011 | October 23 | Houston Texans | 41–7 | LP Field (Nashville) | 13-6 |
| January 1, 2012 | Tennessee Titans | 23–22 | Reliant Stadium (Houston) | 14-6 | |
| 2012 | September 30 | Houston Texans | 38–14 | Reliant Stadium (Houston) | 14-7 |
| December 2 | Houston Texans | 24–10 | LP Field (Nashville) | 14-8 | |
| 2013 | September 15 | Houston Texans | 30–24 (OT) | Reliant Stadium (Houston) | 14-9 |
| December 29 | Tennessee Titans | 16–10 | LP Field (Nashville) | 15-9 | |
| 2014 | October 26 | Houston Texans | 30–16 | LP Field (Nashville) | 15-10 |
| November 30 | Houston Texans | 45–21 | NRG Stadium (Houston) | 15-11 | |
| 2015 | November 1 | Houston Texans | 20–6 | NRG Stadium (Houston) | 15-12 |
| December 27 | Houston Texans | 34–6 | Nissan Stadium (Nashville) | 15-13 | |
| 2016 | October 2 | Houston Texans | 27–20 | NRG Stadium (Houston) | 15-14 |
| January 1, 2017 | Tennessee Titans | 24–17 | Nissan Stadium (Nashville) | 16-14 | |
| 2017 | October 1 | Houston Texans | 57–14 | NRG Stadium (Houston) | 16-15 |
| December 3 | Tennessee Titans | 24–13 | Nissan Stadium (Nashville) | 17-15 | |
| 2018 | September 16 | Tennessee Titans | 20–17 | Nissan Stadium (Nashville) | 18-15 |
References
- ↑ "Andre Johnson Fights Cortland Finnegan: Texans Beat Titans 20-0 (VIDEO)". HuffPost. November 29, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
- ↑ "Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans - Box Score - October 23, 2011". ESPN. October 23, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
- ↑ "Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans - Recap - January 1, 2012". ESPN. January 1, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2014.