Texans–Titans rivalry

The Texans–Titans rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans.

Texans–Titans rivalry

Texans and Titans face off during the 2011 season.
Houston Texans Tennessee Titans
Location	Houston, Nashville
First meeting	November 10, 2002 Titans 17, Texans 10[1]
Latest meeting	January 5, 2025 Texans 23, Titans 14[1]
Next meeting	September 28, 2025
Stadiums	Texans: NRG Stadium Titans: Nissan Stadium
Statistics
Meetings total	46[1]
All-time series	Titans: 24–22[1]
Largest victory	Texans: 57–14 (2017) Titans: 38–17 (2003), 35–14 (2019)[1]
Most points scored	Texans: 57 (2017) Titans: 42 (2020)[1]
Longest win streak	Texans: 5 (2014–2016) Titans: 7 (2005–2008)[1]
Current win streak	Texans: 1 (2024–present)[1]

480km
298miles

Titans

Texans

   

Locations of the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans

The Texans–Titans rivalry is an intense rivalry, pitting the Tennessee Titans (formerly the Houston Oilers) with Houston's present-day team, the Texans.^[2] 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. During the 2000s, the Titans dominated the rivalry before the Texans would gain the upperhand in the 2010s.^[3]

The Titans lead the overall series, 24–22. The two teams have not met in the playoffs.^[1]

Background

The Tennessee Titans were initially established as a Houston-based franchise known as the "Houston Oilers," debuting in the first season of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. Despite achieving playoff success and featuring Hall of Fame players, the Oilers were unable to reach the Super Bowl. Bud Adams, the team's owner, expressed dissatisfaction with the Astrodome, considering it outdated, and sought a new stadium. In 1995, following unsuccessful negotiations, he opted to relocate the Oilers to Nashville, Tennessee, where they were rebranded as the Tennessee Titans. Houston was without an NFL team until the 2002 season when the league declared the return of football to the city with the establishment of the Houston Texans. Additionally, the NFL introduced realignments to its two conferences with each having North, South, East and West divisions. In the newly formed AFC South, the NFL placed the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Indianapolis Colts. Consequently, the Texans and Titans were scheduled to face each other twice annually: once in Houston and once in Nashville.^[4]

History

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 won that game 20–0.^[5]

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.^[6] 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.^[7] However, they were eliminated from postseason contention due to the Denver Broncos losing against the Kansas City Chiefs 7–3. If Tennessee had qualified to play in the NFL playoffs, they would have played the Texans in the AFC Wild-Card round.

In 2018, the Texans won the AFC South at 11–5, and split with Tennessee. The Texans would play either the Titans or Colts in the upcoming Wild Card game, depending on the Sunday Night Football winner between the two. The Colts won 33–17, eliminating the Titans from the playoffs at 9–7 and setting up a wild-card match between the Texans and Colts. Had the Titans won, it would've been the first meeting in the playoffs between the two teams, similar to 2011.

The Texans vs. the Titans at Nissan Stadium in Week 15, 2019.

In 2019, the Texans Week 15 road game against Titans marked the first time that both teams were 8–5 at the same time. The Texans beat the Titans 24–21,^[8] and in Week 16 the Texans won the AFC South after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23–20. In the final week of regular season, the Titans faced the Texans on the road. The Titans needed to win the game or a Pittsburgh Steelers loss against the Baltimore Ravens in order to make the playoffs. Behind a 211-yard, three-touchdown day from running back Derrick Henry and the Texans resting starters, the Titans won 35–14 to clinch the sixth seed in the playoffs.^[9]

2020s

The most competitive games in the history of the rivalry came in 2020. On October 18 the Texans traveled to Nissan Stadium under interim coach Romeo Crennel, taking over for the fired Bill O'Brien. The Texans erased a 21–7 gap to lead 36–29, but the Titans stormed down and scored with seven seconds left. In overtime the Titans got first possession and advanced 82 yards on six plays ending in a direct snap touchdown run by Derrick Henry.^[10] In the second meeting of the 2020 season, Sam Sloman kicked a 37-yard field goal that bounced off the right upright and in to give Tennessee the 41–38 win. This was the highest-scoring game (79 points) in the history of the rivalry after the previous game set the record at 78 points.

Titans uniform controversy

For years, the Houston Texans had sought to regain the intellectual property of the former Houston Oilers name, logo, and uniforms. However, Titans owner Bud Adams and his daughter, current owner Amy Adams Strunk, repeatedly blocked these requests. The issue escalated in 2022, when the Titans announced the team was planning to wear their former Houston/Tennessee Oilers throwback uniforms for select games in the 2023 season.^[11] Many Houston fans argued that the uniforms belonged to Houston, but the Titans were able to wear the uniforms as they still retained the Oilers' history and name, as Amy Adams Strunk told owners "Oilers history is Titans history".^[12] In October 2023, days before the Titans planned to wear the uniforms for the first time in their Week 8 game against the Atlanta Falcons, former Texans defensive end J. J. Watt expressed displeasure about the Titans' plans on the The Pat McAfee Show, stating: "Having lived in Houston for 10 years and the people there and the connection that they have to Earl Campbell, to Warren Moon, to these guys that wore those...when they played in that Astrodome...it hurts to not have been able to wear those in Houston and it hurts to see them being worn somewhere else." The Titans also wore the uniforms in their home games against the Texans for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, with the Texans winning both games. After making changes to their primary uniform set following the 2024 season, the Titans announced that they would no longer wear the Oilers throwback uniforms.^[13]

Connections between the teams

Name	Position(s)	Titans' tenure	Texans' tenure
Gary Walker	Defensive end	1995–1998	2002–2005
Robaire Smith	Defensive tackle	2000–2003; 2006	2004–2005
Chris Brown	Running back	2003–2007	2008–2009
Jason Babin	Defensive end	2010	2004–2006
Andre Johnson	Wide receiver	2016	2003–2014
Jadeveon Clowney	Defensive end	2020	2014–2018
Johnathan Joseph	Cornerback	2020	2011–2019
DeAndre Hopkins	Wide receiver	2023–2024	2013–2019
Azeez Al-Shaair	Linebacker	2023	2024–present

Season-by-season results

Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans Season-by-Season Results[1]
2000s (Titans, 12–4) Season Season series at Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans Overall series Notes 2002 Titans 2–0 Titans 13–3 Titans 17–10 Titans 2–0 Texans join the National Football League (NFL) as an expansion team. During the NFL realignment, the Texans and Titans are placed in the newly created AFC South in the American Football Conference (AFC), resulting in two meetings annually. Titans make their first visit back to Houston since departing in the 1996 season when they were known as the Houston Oilers. 2003 Titans 2–0 Titans 27–24 Titans 38–17 Titans 4–0 In Tennessee, the Titans recorded their largest victory against the Texans with a 21–point differential. 2004 Texans 2–0 Texans 31–21 Texans 20–10 Titans 4–2 2005 Titans 2–0 Titans 34–20 Titans 13–10 Titans 6–2 2006 Titans 2–0 Titans 26–20 (OT) Titans 28–22 Titans 8–2 2007 Titans 2–0 Titans 38–36 Titans 28–20 Titans 10–2 In Houston, Titans' K Rob Bironas successfully converted eight field goal attempts, setting an NFL record. 2008 Tie 1–1 Texans 13–12 Titans 31–12 Titans 11–3 The Titans win 7 straight meetings (2005–2008), currently the longest win streak in the series for either team. 2009 Tie 1–1 Titans 20–17 Texans 34–31 Titans 12–4
2010s (Texans, 13–7) Season Season series at Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans Overall series Notes 2010 Tie 1–1 Texans 20–0 Titans 31–17 Titans 13–5 In Houston, Texans' WR Andre Johnson and Titans' CB Cortland Finnegan got into an altercation, which resulted in both getting ejected and fined. 2011 Tie 1–1 Titans 23–22 Texans 41–7 Titans 14–6 2012 Texans 2–0 Texans 38–14 Texans 24–10 Titans 14–8 2013 Tie 1–1 Texans 30–24 (OT) Titans 16–10 Titans 15–9 Texans' win would be their last win in their 2013 season and only home win, as they went on a 14-game losing streak. 2014 Texans 2–0 Texans 45–21 Texans 30–16 Titans 15–11 2015 Texans 2–0 Texans 20–6 Texans 34–6 Titans 15–13 2016 Tie 1–1 Texans 27–20 Titans 24–17 Titans 16–14 Both teams finished with 9–7 records, but the Texans clinched the AFC South based on a better division record, eliminating the Titans from playoff contention. 2017 Tie 1–1 Texans 57–14 Titans 24–13 Titans 17–15 In Houston, the Texans recorded their largest victory against the Titans with a 43–point differential and set a franchise record for their most points scored in a game. 2018 Tie 1–1 Texans 34–17 Titans 20–17 Titans 18–16 In Houston, the Texans accumulated 281 rushing yards, setting a franchise record for their most rushing yards in a game. 2019 Tie 1–1 Titans 35–14 Texans 24–21 Titans 19–17 In Houston, the Titans tied their largest victory against the Texans with a 21-point differential (2003) and clinched the final playoff berth in the AFC with their win.
2020s (Tie, 5–5) Season Season series at Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans Overall series Notes 2020 Titans 2–0 Titans 41–38 Titans 42–36 (OT) Titans 21–17 In Tennessee, the Titans scored their most points in a game against the Texans and accumulated 607 total yards, setting a franchise record for their most yards in a game. In Houston, Titans clinch the AFC South for the first time since the 2008 season with their win and achieve their first season series sweep against the Texans since the 2007 season. 2021 Tie 1–1 Titans 28–25 Texans 22–13 Titans 22–18 The Titans clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs as the AFC's 1st seed with their win. 2022 Tie 1–1 Titans 17–10 Texans 19–14 Titans 23–19 2023 Texans 2–0 Texans 26–3 Texans 19–16 (OT) Titans 23–21 2024 Tie 1–1 Titans 32–27 Texans 23–14 Titans 24–22 Titans clinched the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft with their loss.
Summary of Results Season Season series at Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans Notes Regular season Titans 24–22 Titans 12–11 Titans 12–11

See also

• List of NFL rivalries
• AFC South