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          NFL Nation

          Houston Texans focus on building on win after snapping NFL's longest losing streak

          • Sarah Barshop, ESPN Staff WriterNov 23, 2021, 11:00 AM
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              Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated. You can follow her on Twitter @sarahbarshop.
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          NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- As linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill walked to the podium at Nissan Stadium after the Houston Texans’ 22-13 victory Sunday over the Tennessee Titans, he let out a yell in relief.

          “Woooooo,” Grugier-Hill yelled.

          The Texans' win, their first since Week 1, snapped an eight-game losing streak, the longest in the NFL. The win also broke the Titans’ six-game winning streak, the longest in the NFL.

          “This is huge, you know?” Grugier-Hill said. “To get this thing rolling, it’s been tough. It’s been super tough. To come out here and get a big win on the road against probably one of the best teams in the AFC right now, that’s huge.”

          The Texans also snapped a streak of 63 days without scoring a touchdown away from NRG Stadium after quarterback Tyrod Taylor ran seven yards for the first touchdown of the game. Entering the game, the Texans had not scored a touchdown on the road since Week 2. The four road games without scoring a touchdown was tied with five other squads for the longest such streak since the NFL merger in 1970.

          The Texans (2-8) won despite being a 10-point underdog. According to ESPN Stats & Information, it was the fifth double-digit upset this season, one more than the NFL had all of last season. It's the most double-digit upsets in the first 11 weeks of a season since 2006 and the most consecutive weeks with a double-digit upset since 2009, when it happened in the final five weeks of that season.

          “It’s been a long time since we felt that [excitement],” coach David Culley said. “It’s tough to win in this league, no matter who you play. And we tell our guys this. … When you go out and you get five turnovers and you don’t turn the ball over, it doesn’t matter who you play. You’re going to have a pretty good chance to win the football game.”

          The Texans, who intercepted Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill four times (once each by Grugier-Hill and Terrance Mitchell and twice by Desmond King II) on Sunday and recovered a muffed punt, forced five takeaways for the second game in a row. It was the first time in franchise history that Houston had done so.

          Houston, who entered the game in sole possession of last place in the AFC South and a half-game back of the Detroit Lions (0-9-1) for the No. 1 pick in April's draft, plays the New York Jets (2-8) on Sunday with a chance to build on the victory.

          “When you win, it's just the team morale is up,” Taylor said, “and it’s an opportunity for us to build and continue moving forward.”

          And when asked what this victory meant for the team in the “big picture,” Grugier-Hill said the focus -- even after a win -- has to just be on Week 12.

          “We’ve just got to – all we can think about right now is the next game,” Grugier-Hill said. “I don’t even know who we have next. The Jets? Yeah, now we’ve just got to focus on the Jets. 1-0 every week.”