The Houston Texans (8-5) are preparing for an all-out brawl on the field this week against the Tennessee Titans (8-5) in an AFC South matchup that has playoff seedings on the line. The losing team will be fighting for a wildcard spot in a crowded AFC division where some teams that are under .500 are still in contention to make the postseason.

Houston will look to rebound after a terrible loss to the Denver Broncos last week by a score of 38-24. After an impressive win over the defending champions (Patriots) a week prior, the Texans couldn’t find any rhythm early on and found themselves trying to fight and claw their way back from a 21-0 deficit to the Broncos. That loss along with a Titans victory over the Oakland Raiders put them into a tie for first place with the Titans, but the Texans own the tie-breaker with a better division record.

“It all starts with me,” said Texans head coach Bill O’Brien after the loss to the Broncos. “We're an 8-5 football team that got beat soundly by the Broncos, and we've got to come in here and go back to work.”

For the Texans to be successful against the Titans, they will need to get one of their most potent weapons back on the field in a wide receiver, Will Fuller. He missed the game last week due to an injury and has not been cleared to play on Sunday. Fuller is one of the main weapons for NFL MVP candidate quarterback Deshaun Watson (3,425 yards – 24 touchdowns) and helps relieve some of the pressure off of fellow teammate, DeAndre Hopkins.

“It's another weapon that makes a lot of big time plays and that can take the top off and do some great things for us,” Deshaun Watson answered when asked about the importance of Fuller. “Definitely seeing how the week goes, and we can definitely use him.”

Houston’s defense must step up this week as they are going against one of the hottest teams in the NFL. The Titans, who started the season with a 2-4 record, has won six out of their last seven games. That’s due in large part to a switch at quarterback and an offensive scheme change. Tennessee decided to bench quarterback, Marcus Mariota, who was their first-round pick in the 2015 NFL draft in Week 7 versus the Los Angeles Chargers and insert free agent acquisition, Ryan Tannehill, into the starting lineup.

Tennessee also decided to get their bruising running back, Derrick Henry (1,243 yards rushing-13 touchdowns) who is second in the league in rushing the ball more. In his last four games, Henry is averaging 21.5 carries and 150 yards and has seemed to find his groove in this offense.

"I think he's just probably got a little bit better grasp each and every week as this thing goes,” said Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. “He's a very durable, physical player and I think he understands that's the role he has to take.”

Kickoff is at noon on Sunday.