WALKER THIRD ON FRANCHISE TIGHT END RECEIVING LIST:Tight endDelanie Walkerled the Titans with nine receptions for 59 yards, giving him the third-highest single-game reception total of his career. *In the first quarter, he caught his 200th reception as a member of the Titans. In doing so, he moved into third place on the franchise's all-time receptions list among tight ends, passingAlvin Reed(199). Walker trails onlyFrank Wycheck(482) andBo Scaife* (251) in career receptions among Titans/Oilers tight ends. Among all Titans/Oilers players, Walker's 208 receptions are 15th all-time.
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WALKER CLOSING IN ON 1,000 YARDS IN 2015:**Delanie Walker's 85 receptions for 994 yards in 2015 leave him six yards short of 1,000 yards with one game remaining on the schedule. Next week he could become the first tight end in franchise history to reach 1,000 yards in a season. His 85 receptions already rank eighth in franchise history for a single season. With five catches in the season finale next week, Walker would record the fourth 90-reception season in the "Titans era" (1999-present), joining Derrick Mason (2003 and 2004) and Kendall Wright (2013).
WRIGHT REACHES 250 RECEPTIONS:Wide receiver Kendall Wrightcaught three passes for 18 yards against the Texans before leaving the game with a knee injury in the first quarter.* With his second catch, he reached 250 career receptions, and on his third reception, he tiedBo Scaife(251) for 13th place on the team's all-time receptions list. During the game he also passedAlvin Reed* (2,818 yards) for 15th place on the team's all-time receiving yards list.
METTENBERGER ATTEMPTS 51 PASSES:In his ninth career start, second-year quarterback Zach Mettenberger attempted 51 passes, completing 27 of them for 234 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His 51 attempts were the most by a Titans quarterback since Ryan Fitzpatrick's 58 attempts against the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 15, 2013, and Mettenberger's attempts also made up the fourth-highest total for the team in the "Titans era" (since 1999). Mettenberger's one-yard touchdown pass to Tre McBride was his 12th career touchdown pass.
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FIRST RECEPTION AND TOUCHDOWN FOR McBRIDE: In the fourth quarter, rookieTre McBriderecorded his first NFL reception on a seven-yard pass fromZach Mettenberger**. Later, on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, the seventh-round pick scored his first NFL touchdown on a pass from Mettenberger.
LONG RECEPTION BY SANKEY:In the fourth quarter, running back Bishop Sankey sparked a touchdown drive with a 30-yard reception, which qualified as the longest reception of his two-year career. His previous long was 20 yards (against Indianapolis on Sept. 27, 2015). Sankey's game totals included two rushes for 11 yards and three catches for 43 yards.
TWELVE PLAYERS WITH TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS:When Tre McBride recorded a touchdown reception against the Texans, he became the 12th Titans player in 2015 to record at least one touchdown reception. The 12 players with a touchdown catch are the most in franchise history. Prior to 2015, only the 1961 Oilers team had as many as 10 players with a touchdown reception.
TAVAI FORCES TURNOVER ON FIRST SACK:In the second quarter, outside linebacker J.R. Tavai recorded his first career sack (five yards), and on the play, he also recorded his first career forced fumble. The undrafted rookie knocked the ball out of the hands of Texans quarterback Brandon Weeden, and linebacker David Bass recovered it for the Titans.
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The Tennessee Titans take on the New Houston Texans in Week 16 at Nissan Stadium. (Photos: Donn Jones, AP)
KERN PASSES NORTON AND PLACES SEVEN PUNTS INSIDE THE 20: Brett Kern recorded nine punts against the Texans for an average of 47.4 yards and a net average of 43.3 yards. It was only the second game in his career with at least nine punts (10 against the New York Jets on Dec. 17, 2012). Kern set a new career high with seven punts placed inside the opponent's 20-yard line, which also qualified as the most ever recorded for the franchise (statistic tracked since 1976) and the most by any NFL punter in 2015. The seven punts inside the 20 also tied for the third-highest total in any NFL game since 1976. On his third punt of the day, Kern passedJim Norton** (522) for second place on the franchise's all-time career punting list.
INACTIVES: The Titans' seven inactive players were quarterback Marcus Mariota, wide receivers Damaris Johnson and Andrew Turzilli, cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson, safety Josh Aubrey, offensive lineman Jeremiah Poutasi and defensive lineman Ropati Pitoitua. Mariota (knee) was the team's only unhealthy scratch.
2016 OPPONENTS: The Titans now know all 16 opponents they will face during the 2016 regular season. In addition to home and road games against their AFC South rivals (Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars), the Titans will face every team from the AFC West (at home against the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders; on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers) and every team from the NFC North (at home against the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings; on the road against the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions). Additionally, every team has two conference games based on order of finish within its respective division. No matter what transpires in Week 17, the Titans will finish fourth in the AFC South. As a result, they will have a 2015 home game against the AFC North's fourth-place team, the Cleveland Browns, and a road contest against the AFC East's fourth-place team, the Miami Dolphins.
