SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 30, 2014
Texans 45, Titans 21: Ryan Fitzpatrick set a franchise record - and a career high - with six touchdown passes and J.J. Watt recorded two sacks, a fumble recovery and a touchdown receptions as host Houston pounded Tennessee.
Fitzpatrick, who regained the starting job when Ryan Mallett was injured last week, went 24-of-33 for 358 yards without throwing an interception or taking a sack. DeAndre Hopkins was on the receiving end of nine of those passes totaling 238 yards and two TDs for the Texans (6-6).
Kendall Wright caught seven passes for 132 yards and a touchdown while Nate Washington added a touchdown reception for the Titans (2-10), who have lost six straight. Jake Locker threw a TD pass and two interceptions after relieving rookie Zach Mettenberger, who was 13-of-19 for 184 yards with a scoring toss and a pick before leaving with an injured right shoulder in the third quarter.
The Texans poured it on early, with Fitzpatrick throwing an 8-yard TD pass to Ryan Griffin and 7-yarder to Arian Foster before hitting Hopkins for a 58-yard scoring strike en route to a 24-0 halftime lead. The Titans threatened to make a game of it when Mettenberger hooked up with Wright for a 36-yard score to open the third quarter and Jason McCourty stripped the ball from Andre Johnson and raced 62 yards for a TD with 8:07 left in the period to cut the deficit to 24-14.
Houston responded as Hopkins got free for a 34-yard TD reception to cap an 80-yard drive and Fitzpatrick found Johnson for a 4-yard touchdown early in the fourth to make it 38-14. Watt sacked and stripped Locker before recovering the fumble, then found himself on the receiving end of a 1-yard TD pass two plays later to cap Houston's scoring before Locker hit Washington for a 25-yard TD after the outcome was decided.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Fitzpatrick is the eighth player in NFL history to throw four TD passes in a game for three different franchises. กญ Wright joined Ernest Givins as the only players in franchise history with 50 receptions in each of their first three seasons. กญ The Texans recorded four takeaways, running their NFL-best total to 28.