NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The last time Titans receiver Justin Hunter played a football game in Houston, he ended up staying in town a few extra days.
He was hardly on a vacation.
"Oh no,'' Hunter said. "It was a tough four days."
Think back to November 30, 2014. That's the day Hunter suffered a lacerated spleen when he took a hit from Houston safety Danieal Manning while going across the middle. The ball was intercepted by Johnathan Joseph.
Hunter ended up returning to action. But as the symptoms got worse, he was taken to a Houston hospital, when he was diagnosed with a lacerated spleen.
Hunter missed the final four games of the 2014 season after being placed on Injured Reserve on December 2, 2014.
"It hurt when it happened,'' Hunter said on Wednesday. "Then it started to get worse. It was a tough four days, but I feel like I recovered well.
"To be honest, I haven't really thought about it since it happened. But (Manning) hit me pretty hard. He made a great play."
Hunter is trying to shake another memory off this week – his dropped pass in Sunday's loss to the Falcons. Hunter knows if he'd held on, it would've been a 50-plus yard gain.
"No one can ever be as hard on me as I am on myself,'' Hunter said. "It hurt, it was hard. I know I have to catch that ball."
On the season, Hunter has just 13 catches for 183 yards.
On Sunday, Hunter would like to get back on track with a breakout performance in Houston. It would go a long way in erasing a not-so-pleasant memory.
"It would be excellent,'' he said. "That's what I need."
