Instant analysis: Texans' backups secure win over Titans, improve to 5-5

Who said that backups can’t win football games?

The result without C.J. Stroud and Ka’imi Fairbairn? A .500 record and 2-1 run.

Davis Mills threw for 274 yards and a touchdown while Matthew Wright kicked a game-winning 32-yard field goal as time expired to secure a 16-13 win over the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Saturday. Cam Ward led a scoring drive with just over a minute remaining, but there was too much time left on the clock to give Houston one last chance to end it in regulation.

Houston trailed 6-0 with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter before Mills connected with Nico Collins for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 7-6. Following a strip sack on Ward, Wright drilled a 43-yard field goal to extend the led to seven.

Will Anderson Jr. once again put together an impressive resume toward a Defensive Player of the Year notion, totaling four tackles for loss and three sacks. With the strip-sack on Ward, the former No. 3 overall pick becomes the fifth player in franchise history to record a sack in five straight games, becoming the first since Jonathan Greenard in 2023.

The Texans return to NRG Stadium on a short week to take on the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football.

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Instant analysis: Texans move to 5-5 with comeback win over Titans