Houston @ Tennessee Game Overview

After all, the Texans, who have lost two games in a row, are locked into the fourth seed for the AFC playoffs. But second-year coach DeMeco Ryans would like to build momentum going into their wild-card weekend matchup.

"Everybody will be out there playing, and we'll see how the game goes," he said. "But for us, right now, we've got to go play better. And our last outing on the field was not good enough, not representative of who we are.

"Defensively, offensively, it's not a good representation of our team entirely. So we've got to go out and we've got to play better football."

It would be harder for Houston (9-7) to play much worse than it did for most of a 31-2 rout at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas Day. The Texans' offense couldn't get on the board, and the defense was overrun by big plays during the first three quarters.

The performance reinforces the notion that the Texans can't beat the NFL's top teams. They fell to 1-5 against teams with winning records, scraping out only a 23-20 win over Buffalo on Oct. 6 after Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed just 9 of 30 passes for 131 yards and Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked a 59-yard field goal as time expired.

Second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud has been hampered by inconsistent protection from the offensive line and season-ending injuries to top receivers Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell. Stroud won't be 100 percent but will start on Sunday. He absorbed five sacks and 10 hits against the Ravens.

"That's NFL football this time of year," Ryans said of the injuries. "Everybody is banged up. A lot of guys are fighting through a lot of things."

While Houston looks for momentum, Tennessee (3-13) will either get a season sweep of the Texans or perhaps the No. 1 pick in April's NFL draft. The Titans currently sit at the No. 3 overall pick behind the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns.

Tennessee is assured of finishing last in the AFC South after a 20-13 loss last week at Jacksonville, the Titans' fifth straight setback.

First-year coach Brian Callahan said Friday that Will Levis will start at quarterback but that he expects Mason Rudolph also will play. Rudolph started the past two games after Levis struggled with turnovers during a 37-27 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 15.

"We'll let him play," Titans coach Brian Callahan said of Levis, who began the season as the starter but is 2-9. "Let him take a shot to finish off the season on a good note and play well."

Levis is eager to get back onto the field.

"Excited to go out there and try to get another win," he said. "I'm glad I got another opportunity. I sure as heck wouldn't want my last throw to be a pick-six."

Levis, who showed promise as a rookie last year, has regressed to an extent this year. He's thrown 12 interceptions in 11 games. He and Rudolph have combined to throw 21 picks, tying Cleveland for the most in the NFL.

In an extensive pre-game injury report, Tennessee has ruled out eight players: running back Tyjae Spears (concussion), wide receivers Colton Dowell (knee) and Tyler Boyd (foot), kicker Nick Folk (abdomen), safety Amani Hooker (shoulder), offensive lineman Jaelyn Duncan (shoulder), and linebackers Arden Key (hand) and Otis Reese (ankle).

Running back Tony Pollard (ankle) and tight end Chig Okonkwo (abdomen) are questionable.

For the Texans, defensive linemen Denico Autry (knee) and Foley Fatukasi (ankle) are out, as are offensive lineman Shaq Mason (knee) and cornerback Jeff Okudah (concussion). Linebackers Christian Harris (ankle) and Jamal Hill (hamstring) are questionable.

The Titans own a 24-21 lead in the all-time series as a result of their 32-27 victory on Nov. 24, when Levis threw for 278 yards and two scores.

--Field Level Media