Tom Savage took a beating on Christmas Eve against the Bengals, who managed to hit him 10 times along with four sacks. But the Pittsburgh product overcame the rough treatment in his first-ever NFL start, eventually fighting his way, mostly in the second half, for 176 passing yards and no interceptions.
That inspiring effort helped the Texans gut out the 12-10 victory to clinch their second-consecutive AFC South title. They now gear up for a regular-season finale with division rivals Tennessee, which will be playing without Marcus Mariota, who’s done for the season.
With the division title already in the bag, you can probably expect a number of key players and starters to rest for the Texans. Coach Bill O’Brien could even insert the struggling Brock Osweiler back as the starter, hoping that the former Bronco can finally start living up to his $72-million contract.
If not, expect to see more of Savage and Alfred Blue. The former will look to gather some momentum before the postseason, while Blue should continue filling in as the main backfield option with Lamar Miller nursing an ankle injury. Blue gained 73 yards on 21 carries, including the game-winning 24-yard running score versus the Bengals.
Tennessee’s looked disappointing when playing against division rivals, going just 1-4 SU and ATS in the last five games. And with Matt Cassel, who’s barely seen action this season, filling in for the injured Marcus Mariota, it’s hard to predict how the team’s offense will fare against a Houston defense that’s limited its last three foes to no more than 20 points.
Cassel, though, was relatively sharp when he replaced Mariota in Saturday’s loss to the Jaguars, converting on 13 of his 24 passes for 124 yards with a touchdown and a late interception. The 12-year veteran has a total of 102 passing touchdowns and 78 picks throughout his career.
Meanwhile, the Titans’ running attack should inflict major damage through a redemption-seeking DeMarco Murray, who tied a season-low of 42 yards on 14 carries, and was held without a touchdown for the fourth time in five games versus Jacksonville. He has a team-high of 1,266 yards rushing together with nine scores this season.
