HOUSTON -- After a thrilling win by the Titans over the rival Texans on Sunday, Tennessee defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons ran back to the locker room yelling, "This one's for Amy!"
He was referring to Amy Adams Strunk, the team's controlling owner since 2015.
"She was thrilled," Titans coach Brian Callahan said after the 32-27 win. "It's OK to admit that these things sometimes mean more. I know it does for her and it does for us, and we wanted to make sure that we put on a great performance down here."
Simmons said Strunk had tears in her eyes as she delivered a postgame speech proudly wearing a Houston Oilers belt buckle.
It was Strunk's father, Bud Adams, who moved the Oilers to Tennessee in 1997 and renamed the team the Titans in 1999.
The Titans and Texans have been intense rivals since 2002, when the Texans made their NFL debut as an expansion team.
"We know the history behind everything," Simmons said. "How much this means to her is why we go out there and give it our all. We talked about it last night and let this game mean a lot more playing for the owner."
Houston and Tennessee have combined to win five of the past six AFC South Division titles, with the Texans most recently taking the crown in 2023.
Entering Sunday, the Texans had also won three consecutive games against the Titans.
Following the 2023 season, Strunk fired coach Mike Vrabel -- who first worked for the Texans -- and hired Callahan.
Callahan stressed the importance and history of the rivalry to his players this week, especially new ones like rookie cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr., who recorded his first career interception Sunday. Callahan said the Titans had a really good week of practice and were proud they had something to show for it with the win over the Texans.
The Titans were 2-8 entering this week, while Houston was atop the AFC South at 7-4. ESPN's Football Power Index gave Tennessee a 0.5% chance of making the playoffs before Sunday.
But that didn't stop the Titans from coming up with a big win and sustaining their goal of making the playoffs.
"We're focused on ourselves and keep moving forward," Brownlee said. "We got this W and we're 1-1 in division games and still have a chance. We'll keep fighting and keep working, getting better each and every week."