If there is a soft spot remaining on the Titans schedule, this is it. And having lost four games in a row now, the Titans can ill afford to overlook the worst team the NFL has to offer in the Houston Texans.

After all, the Texans somehow carried the Kansas City Chiefs into overtime Sunday before absorbing their 12th loss of the season.

First down

Play from ahead. You need only look at the Titans’ offensive struggles and their pitiful second-half season numbers this year to know that this team needs an early lead. The Titans would be wise to get the ball to Derrick Henry early, and find the end zone a couple of times in order to perhaps shake off the monthlong funk they have been in.

Second down

Stop with the offensive penalties. The Titans are not a team that functions well in long-yardage situations. Second and 12, third-and-9 play calls are not things that a lot of offensive coordinators like to deal with, but for the Titans it is excruciatingly bad, given their over-reliance on running the ball and the lack of playmakers on the outside.

Third down

Block somebody. Ryan Tannehill has been a sitting duck for much of the past two seasons, and the fact that he is still upright and able to lead the team, is amazing. The left side of the line has been a sieve far too often with offensive linemen Dennis Daley and Aaron Brewer too often being pushed back into Tannehill or beaten around the edge for a sack. That said, the Titans would do well to stay out of the dropback game as much as they can.

Fourth down

Don’t give them life. The Titans finally found some turnovers against the Chargers, but could not capitalize on them. The Texans played the Chiefs tougher than expected last week. With that said, the Titans can ill afford to founder on offense or give up a big play on defense to give the Texans life in the game. The defense needs to get pressure on either Davis Mills or Jeff Driskel, or whoever is under center for the Texans, and create a turnover to drown any momentum the visitors might find.

-- Terry McCormick