Can Houston Block Ex Texans Coach Mike Vrabel’s Titans AFC Path?

Mike Vrabel, the Texans former defensive coordinator, needs win to grab the No. 1 seed for the Titans

HOUSTON -- If they could do it over again, would the Houston Texans have kept Mike Vrabel and promoted him to head coach over Bill O'Brien? 

Vrabel, Houston's former defensive coordinator and now current head coach of the Tennessee Titans, has his team booming. One more win and the AFC playoffs go through Nashville while the team gets a bye for a job well done. 

These aren't the Titans of old, known for pounding the rock with Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry. He's been out the last eight games with a foot injury and likely won't suit up come Sunday against Houston.

Tennessee doesn't care if those on the outside consider them a "one-dimensional" team. They've won five of their last eight games without an All-Pro runner and remain on top of the AFC for good reason. 

The reason? Vrabel. It's why he's a front-runner to take Coach of the Year honors later this month. 

"He has done a tremendous job since he's been there and I'm not surprised with it," Texans coach David Culley said Wednesday. "The same way he is as a coach, his football team emulates who he is and what he is as a person and a coach." 

Vrabel is 42-26 in his four seasons with the franchise. He's 2-2 in postseason appearances and has never finished below .500 since arriving in 2018. 

Tennessee's success has been near unfathomable to imagine not just because of the departure of Henry, but also several other marquee names. Pro Bowl wide receiver AJ Brown has missed five games. Former Falcons Pro Bowler Julio Jones has missed seven.

At times, Ryan Tannehill is quarbacking a team that featured names like Dontrell Hilliard as his go-to running back and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as his leading receiver. Tennessee still found ways to win. 

These wins can be a testament to coaching. Culley remembers his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers when Vrabel was just entering the league out of Ohio State.

"He was the same way," Culley said when asked about Vrabel during his playing days. "He and (general manager) Jon Robinson have done a great job of developing a football team down there. ... they're playing the kind of football he wants them to play." 

Vrabel never buckled despite the changes due to injuries. He made do with what he could. Without Henry, Hilliard and former Texans third-round pick, D'Onta Foreman, have carried the load. 

Foreman is coming off his best performance, in a game against the Dolphins in which he tallied a career-high 24 carries for a 132 yards and a touchdown. Hilliard, a fellow former Texans running back, is currently averaging a team-high 6.1 yards per run.

And as for production diminishing on the ground without Henry? It hasn't. The Titans rank third in rushing offense, averaging 142.5 yards per game. 

Those who are healthy stand a chance in the postseason. Tennessee is getting there with Henry coming off the injured reserve list Wednesday and Brown officially at full strength. Jones, who did not face Houston in the 23-13 upset win back in Week 11, recently was activated off the COVID-19 list. 

A win Sunday secures home-field advantage for the Titans throughout the postseason with a record of 12-5. The Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) also are in the running for a first-round bye, but a 27-3 loss to Tennessee in Week 7 gives the Titans the tiebreaker.

Chiefs fans might be rooting for the Texans to force another five-turnover game against Tennessee in the season finale. Culley is hoping to end the long year on a positive note. 

"Other than not letting (Vrabel) get the No. 1 seed this week, I wish him very well, and I’ve got a lot of respect for him and that franchise and what they do," Culley said.