There are still four winless teams remaining in the NFL, and all of them play in the AFC. In perhaps a testament to the NFL’s parity, two of them made the playoffs last season.
In all likelihood, that group will be down to at most three on Sunday, as the 0-4 Tennessee Titans will host the 0-4 Houston Texans for a 1 p.m. ET clash in the teams’ first meeting of the season. Only a tie (a result that has happened fewer than 40 times in modern NFL history) would keep both teams’ futility alive.
The Texans are seven-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook (-375 on the Moneyline), with the point total set to 37.5. Tennessee is +295 on the Moneyline.
Texans vs. Titans prediction, preview
Of the league’s 0-4 teams, Houston has definitely been the most impressive this season, playing out tight, high-scoring thrillers against the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys and losing in narrow fashion to the Indianapolis Colts. The Texans entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations, and while they face a nearly impossible uphill battle to get themselves back in the playoff picture, they have the shortest odds of doing so among the winless teams. On the other hand, the Titans entered the season in the midst of a rebuild after hiring a new head coach (Robert Saleh) and integrating a new young tandem in second-year quarterback Cam Ward and rookie wideout Carnell Tate, so the fact that their last three games have all been decided by one possession represents progress.
Houston has had some flashes offensively. It’s scored 30 points twice, and in one of the games in which it didn’t, it managed to gain 374 total yards. Quarterback C.J. Stroud, whose pitiful performance in last season’s Divisional Round was a primary reason for the team’s elimination, has been solid, completing 61.6% of his passes for 1,141 yards, five touchdowns, and no picks, ranking 14th in passer rating and 10th by Pro Football Focus’ offensive grades. Although running backs Woody Marks and David Montgomery have been non-factors, wide receiver Nico Collins has 193 yards and three touchdowns in just two games, and Dalton Schultz ranks seventh among tight ends in receiving yards.
Still, the Texans might actually have a difficult time against Tennessee’s defense. Although the Titans’ secondary has been pretty gettable on a play-by-play basis, ranking sixth-to-last in net yards per attempt, they’ve allowed the third-fewest passing touchdowns and the 12th-fewest yards. Safety Amani Hooker had a 92-yard interception return, and second-year slot corner Marcus Harris ranks 15th by PFF’s standards. Tennessee’s performance against the run has been more of a mixed bag; it has allowed the eighth-fewest yards per attempt but the ninth-most total yards as a result of playing run-oriented teams. Jeffrey Simmons, one of the only true stars on the Titans, put together an impressive performance last Sunday against his former teammate Derrick Henry.
Tennessee hasn’t shown much offensively. It ranks second-to-last in points and third-to-last in passing yards, with Ward ranking 10th-to-last among qualified passers in QBR and completing passes at a rate 1.9 percentage points lower than expected. Tony Pollard, a 1,000-yard rusher in each of the last four seasons, is expected to fall under that mark in 2026, and backup Tyjae Spears would rank second-to-last in success rate if he’d taken enough carries to qualify. Tate has been basically the only major bright spot; he had 145 yards against the Baltimore Ravens and, as WR28, has been fantasy-viable as a FLEX option.
Tate has a surprisingly gettable matchup against a struggling secondary. Houston has allowed the fifth-most passing yards and the 11th-most net yards per attempt after ranking sixth and fourth in those stats, respectively, last season, as two-time All-Pro First Teamer Derek Stingley Jr. has allowed the highest passer rating of his career. The Texans have also managed only one pick after intercepting the third-most passes last season. However, Houston has been excellent against the run, allowing the fourth-fewest yards per attempt, and Will Anderson Jr. ranks third in the league in sacks.
Texans vs. Titans pick, best bet
With Collins healthy and Stroud coming off of his best game of the season, I expect the Texans’ passing game to be pretty effective. The Titans have decent counting stats defensively, but those are attributable in part to the brutal weather that impacted their game against the New York Giants and Lamar Jackson’s injury at halftime of the game against the Ravens. Tennessee doesn’t get a ton of pressure, and Stroud has recorded the league’s sixth-best passing grades this season from a clean pocket. Given the chemistry that Collins has displayed with Stroud, I expect a big performance from him and an intentionally quiet night from Marks and Montgomery.
As long as Nick Caley calls an aggressive offensive game plan and Stroud executes, Houston should jump out to an early lead. Although right tackle J.C. Latham has graded out as an above-average pass-blocker this season, Anderson is a challenge for anyone, and if he can get pressure, Ward might struggle. Issues would then compound; if he falls into a big deficit and the Texans’ front seven is able to deal with Pollard’s and Spears’ few runs, Ward will be forced to throw to keep up, and although he’s made some progress since last season, he has led just one fourth-quarter comeback in his 21 starts. Despite its struggles early on, I trust Houston’s secondary, especially now that DeMeco Ryans has taken back defensive play-calling duties from defensive coordinator Matt Burke.
Best bet: Houston Texans to Lead After Every Quarter (+165)
Projected score: Texans 28, Titans 17
