How the Texans’ wacky interception likely won the AFC South

The Houston Texans’ AFC South title isn’t official yet, but it might as well be. A 24-21 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 15 means the Texans can seal the deal with just one more win. A Titans loss would also do the trick.

If it really is all over, the Texans can point to one play that made the difference.

Early in the second quarter, the Titans were in the red zone threatening to score the first points of the game. Tennessee has had the NFL’s best red zone offense since Ryan Tannehill took over and he looked to continue that trend with a dart to tight end Anthony Firkser. Texans safety Justin Reid spoiled it by jarring the ball free and straight into the arms of linebacker Whitney Mercilus.

Boom. Just like that, a Titans scoring chance turned into an opportunity for the Texans. Mercilus returned the pick to the opposite 12-yard line and, two plays later, Deshaun Watson connected with Kenny Stills for a touchdown.

The play was a 14-point swing and put the Titans in a hole. Tennessee entered the game with six wins in its previous seven games while Houston has struggled with consistency. The interception gave a jolt to a Texans offense that couldn’t do much against the Titans up to that point.

Tennessee had its chances to settle the score. The Titans clawed back to tie the game early in the fourth quarter. Then the Texans ballooned the lead back to 10 and hung on for a three-point victory.

An early lead for Houston had the Titans behind the eight ball all game, though. The Tennessee offense leans on a powerful rushing attack to set up a dangerous play-action passing game. It eventually wears on opponents and has made the Titans one of the NFL’s best second-half teams.

That style took its toll on the Texans and got the Titans back in the game late. But Tennessee never led Sunday. The Titans didn’t get the chance to suffocate Houston the way they did to every team they faced in November. That was all due to the Mercilus interception that Bill O’Brien called the play of the game.

Houston can wrap things up Saturday when it travels to face the Buccaneers. If it doesn’t, the Saints can do the job for them Sunday when they play the Titans. And even if both those results go right for Tennessee, the Texans can still lock up the division by winning the Week 17 rematch against the Titans that’ll be played in Houston.

The AFC South is a topsy-turvy division that had all four teams in the mix early in the season. It feels nothing short of poetic that it was likely decided in 2019 by a pinball interception.