Texans 45, Titans 21
Ryan Fitzpatrick set a franchise record with six touchdown passes and J.J. Watt had two sacks, a fumble recovery and a touchdown receptions as host Houston pounded Tennessee.
Fitzpatrick, who regained the starting job when Ryan Mallett was injured last week, went 24-of-33 for 358 yards and a career-high six TDs without throwing an interception or taking a sack. DeAndre Hopkins was on the receiving end of nine of those passes totaling 238 yards and two TDs for the Texans (6-6).
Kendall Wright caught seven passes for 132 yards and a touchdown and Nate Washington added a touchdown grab for the Titans (2-10), who have lost six straight. Jake Locker threw a touchdown and two interceptions after relieving rookie Zach Mettenberger, who was 13-of-19 for 184 yards with a touchdown and a pick before leaving with an injured right shoulder in the third quarter.
The Texans poured it on early with Fitzpatrick throwing an 8-yard TD passes to Ryan Griffin and 7-yard scoring pass to Arian Foster before hitting Hopkins for a 58-yard TD strike en route to a 24-0 halftime lead. The Titans threatened to make a game of it when Mettenberger hooked up with Wright for a 36-yard score to open the third quarter and Jason McCourty stripped the ball from Andre Johnson and raced 62 yards for a TD to pull Tennessee within 24-14 with 8:07 left in the period.
Houston answered, though, as Hopkins got free for a 34-yard TD reception to cap an 80-yard drive, and Fitzpatrick found Johnson for a 4-yard touchdown to make it 38-14. Watt sacked and stripped Locker and recovered the fumble, then found himself on the receiving end of a 1-yard TD pass two plays later to cap Houston's scoring before Locker hit Washington for a 25-yard TD after the outcome was decided.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Fitzpatrick is the eighth players in NFL history to throw four TD passes in a game for three different franchises. … Wright joins Ernest Givins as the only players in franchise history with 50 receptions in each of their first three seasons. … The Texans recorded four takeaways, running their NFL-best total to 28.