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National Football League
Houston 57, Tennessee 14
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 1, 2017
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Jeff Triplette
Attendance: 71804

HOUSTON -- In the aftermath of another standout performance from rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Texans faced the reality that they might indeed have their signal-caller of the future.

Watson followed a breakout performance last weekend in New England with a record-setting display in his third career start as the Houston Texans ran roughshod over the Tennessee Titans with a 57-14 victory on Sunday at NRG Stadium.

Watson completed 25 of 34 attempts for 283 yards and became the first rookie quarterback to throw four touchdowns and rush for another since Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton in 1961. With a tantalizing mix of poise, accuracy, elusiveness and moxie, Watson showcased his wares while orchestrating an offensive attack that complemented another sterling defensive display.

"It's cool to have it on our side because it's not a good feeling to be on the other side," Watson said of the blowout and referencing an ugly loss in the opener. "(For) the time being try to execute and keep it going. You've got to learn from the opportunities that you have that you didn't accomplish and just move on from it because you're only as good as your next game."

Watson tossed scoring passes of 16 and 10 yards to Will Fuller, who made his first start of the season after missing three games with a broken collarbone, an 8-yard strike to DeAndre Hopkins, and another 8-yarder to running back Lamar Miller with 11:19 remaining in the contest. Watson added a 1-yard touchdown run late in the first half as Houston (2-2) extended to a 30-14 lead.

The Texans have won six consecutive home games in the series between AFC South rivals and nine of 11 overall. The Titans (2-2), riding high following consecutive victories over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks, did not record a first down until the second quarter and trailed 21-0 by that juncture.

"We got a big lead right away," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said. "If you could have a blueprint for how you want to play the game that would be the way. You want to get off to a big lead, and I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball for the most part."

Tennessee lost quarterback Marcus Mariota to injury during the game. He passed for 96 yards and recorded touchdown runs of 34 and two yards in the first half, but did not return following the intermission. He was sidelined by a hamstring injury sustained on the second scoring run with 1:50 remaining in the second quarter.

He also tossed two interceptions, both by Texans free safety Andre Hal. Houston converted the first turnover into a 2-yard Miller touchdown run to ignite the offensive explosion.

Tennessee finished with five turnovers.

"We wanted to see if he could play," Titans head coach Mike Mularkey said of Mariota, who will undergo an MRI on Monday. "I said to him, 'I'd like to be smart about this -- there's a lot of football left this season.'"

The 57 points represented a franchise high for the Texans. Tennessee, which entered the weekend ranked second in the NFL in rushing yards, mustered just 86 yards on 19 attempts.

Before Mariota was lost for the afternoon and after the Texans dashed to a three-touchdown lead, the Titans strung together consecutive touchdown drives with Matt Cassel at quarterback to cut the deficit to 10 points. But Houston responded with a key play on special teams, a 42-yard kickoff return from Chris Thompson, and capitalized on two critical penalties against Titans cornerback Adoree' Jackson.

Watson followed with his second career touchdown run and the Texans led by 16. When Mariota failed to return for the second half, Tennessee had nothing left to stem the tide.

"Offensively, we weren't clicking fast enough," Titans receiver Rishard Matthews said. "Once we got going, it was too late. You can't do that against a good team."

NOTES: Texans WR Braxton Miller was a healthy scratch, an indication the team is displeased with his development and production. A third-round selection in 2016, Miller has just three catches for 25 yards this season and 18 career receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown. ... Titans second-year FS Kevin Byard recorded his first career interception with 10 seconds remaining in the first half, picking off a pass intended for Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins just outside of the end zone. ... The Texans recorded a touchdown on their first three possessions of the game for the first time since Oct. 19, 2008, against Detroit. ... With his 21-yard reception early in the second quarter, Titans TE Delanie Walker surpassed 5,000 receiving yards for his career. The Walker catch resulted in the initial first down of the game for Tennessee.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Tennessee   Houston
Marcus Mariota Player Lamar Miller
4 Attempts 19
39 Yards 75
9.8 Avg Yards 4.0
2 Touchdowns 1
34 Long 9
Receiving
Tennessee   Houston
Delanie Walker Player DeAndre Hopkins
3 Receptions 10
51 Yards 107
17.0 Avg Yards 10.7
0 Touchdowns 1
21 Long 21
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Tennessee 195 86 109 2 0 1 2.0 0
Houston 445 173 272 7 3 4 2.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Houston will play their next game at home against Kansas City. The Texans have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .667 after a loss.
  • Tennessee will play their next game on the road against Miami. The Titans have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .500 after a loss.