Titans 21 - 45 Texans
Final
  for this game

Fitzpatrick, Hopkins lead Texans over Titans

Nov 30, 2014 - 11:58 PM Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two of his career- high six touchdown passes to DeAndre Hopkins as the Houston Texans cruised past the Tennessee Titans, 45-21, in an AFC South blowout on Sunday.

Fitzpatrick, back as Houston's starter because of the injury to Ryan Mallett, and Hopkins hooked up nine times and accounted for 238 of the quarterback's 358 passing yards.

J.J. Watt punctuated the rout with his third touchdown catch of the season and threw in two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for good measure.

"He's a dynamic player," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said. "He's everything that you want in a great player. It's just fun to watch him play."

Arian Foster, who missed the previous two games with a groin injury, totaled 105 yards from scrimmage and caught a touchdown pass for the Texans (6-6), who still trail the division-leading Colts by two games with four to play.

The Titans (2-10) dropped their sixth straight and saw starting quarterback Zach Mettenberger exit with a shoulder injury in the third quarter.

After the game, Mettenberger said he had a Grade 1 AC sprain and will be getting an MRI on Monday.

"I'm a pretty tough guy. I think I will be able to come back next week," Mettenberger added.

Mettenberger and Kendall Wright connected on a 36-yard touchdown pass out of the break, but on the next series, Tennessee's rookie QB took a big hit from Watt and exited with a right shoulder injury.

Jake Locker, who was replaced by Mettenberger as the starter last month, came on in relief, and his first pass was intercepted by Jumal Rolle.

On the next snap, however, Jason McCourty stripped Andre Johnson, picked up the loose ball near the sideline and sprinted 62 yards untouched to pull the Titans within 24-14.

The Texans answered with the next 21 points to win going away.

Hopkins caught a 34-yard toss from Fitzpatrick with cornerback Brandon Ghee draped all over him in the end zone, then had a 56-yard catch-and-run to set up Johnson's 4-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter.

Watt stripped Locker on the ensuing series, recovered the fumble, then made a diving catch in the end zone with his fingertips after another Hopkins catch put the ball on the 1-yard line.

Locker threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Nate Washington to account for the final margin.

Houston took the opening kickoff and held the ball for nearly 7 1/2 minutes. Hopkins caught a pair of third-down passes from Fitzpatrick, who kept the drive alive by rushing for a first down on 4th-and-2 from the Tennessee 35.

On the 14th play of the trek, Ryan Griffin was left uncovered out of the backfield and caught Fitzpatrick's 8-yard touchdown pass.

Johnathan Joseph picked off Mettenberger's first pass and returned it to the Titans 20, and Foster's 7-yard grab made it 14-0 just over 10 minutes in.

Randy Bullock tacked on a 37-yard field goal with 3:25 left in the half, and the Texans got the ball back with under a minute to play.

Hopkins got behind the secondary and hauled in Fitzpatrick's perfectly-thrown bomb, and the 58-yard strike gave the hosts a 24-0 cushion at halftime.

Game Notes

Watt has accounted for six takeaways this season ... Mettenberger finished with 184 yards on 13-of-19 passing, while Locker was picked off twice and tossed for 91 yards on 6-of-12 throws ... Wright caught seven passes for 132 yards ... Foster and Johnson remain tied for the most touchdowns (63) in franchise history.






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