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. … Wright joined Ernest Givins as the only players in franchise history with 50 receptions in each of their first three seasons. … The Texans recorded four takeaways, running their NFL-best total to 28.