Madden NFL 25 - Tennessee Titans vs Houston Texans - Gameplay (PS5 UHD) [4K60FPS]

it's the NFL on EA Sports where we'll see who's better Houston's former team or it's current one it's the Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans all that and more coming up next we are just around 10 miles south of downtown you get a look inside NRG Stadium in Houston the home of the Texans set for a good one here in the AFC South glad you're on board with us Mike too Greg ol Greg this always the division of opportunity can you get everything right and make a run here each team has had its little moment and as we sit here in 2024 one more time this is a division with a chance to make something happen yeah what's so cool about this division Mike is it seems like it's changed hands year in and year out especially here as of late the surprise teams around the league the last couple seasons have been from the AFC South a lot of that's been they haven't been the strongest they're all trying to figure out their long-term quarterback play when you talk about optimism and hope not only in the building but around the city these teams in the AFC South they all think this is our year the Texans come out with the Rookie of the Year from last year in the NFL CJ strad he was the number two overall pick out of Ohio State great a talented quarterback here if there's going to be a poster child for just how flawed the pre-draft process can be at times I think this guy is at the top I mean just think last year people are nitpicking him going into his rookie year he can't do this he can't do that what does he do he comes out and has arguably the greatest rookie quarterback season in NFL history not only bringing his franchise back to life but really establishing himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the entire league throwing from the pistol St they go sideline and he stays in bounds got the feet down in time it's a first down these are the chunk plays they thought they could get here against this pass defense they thought the passing game favored their offense in this matchup and I think we can expect this to be the case the rest of the game so they come to the line for first down and 10 on the option they give it to Mixon and he'll plow forward for a gain of four [Applause] y here's a second and [Applause] six again they'll give it to Mixon and it'll be a pick up of three so third down forth [Music] coming BR up [Applause] third they'll go playaction with stra he'll let this go deep for Diggs that is hot what a throw touchdown Texans an eligible receiver down field [Applause] off still third [Applause] down from the gun here on third down it's that's CAU downfield by digs a gain there of 23 yds it's good for a Texans first down they've done a nice job spreading the ball around make the defense have to account for as many different weapons as possible here early I think back to our conversation with this coaching staff Mike they identified this guy as someone they needed to get involved early and often so that might be his first Target I don't think it's going to be his [Applause] last out of the gun here's a give to Mixon and he's fighting to try to get back to the line of scrimmage but will not do it this is going to be a loss of a yard how often do we see linebackers be so fast trying to track down the ball carrier that they end up actually overrunning the play and allowing the running back to cut back but not this guy does a great job staying in Phase stretching this ball out sideways and he brings him down for a loss and he's in Jo Mixon touchdown he exactly the way they scripted this one a beautiful opening drive Greg able to find the End Zone on the game's first possession and Mike the word that comes to mind looking at that drive is execution and that's exactly what they talked about all week long they wanted to come out early in this game and establish an early Rhythm and that's exactly what they did with that touchdown Drive now cim faar on for the extra [Applause] point the kick is good and the Texans will take a seven nothing lead [Music] [Applause] [Applause] and so after the touchdown here's Faberry to kick it up they're trying to pit him deep they'll take this from the three terrific return he's taken down to shy of Midfield Titans coming up with their quarterback will Levis good performance last year taken early in that second round in the 2023 draft Greg this quarterback out of Kentucky could be the future for Tennessee from a pure talent standpoint this guy has everything you want in a franchise quarterback I mean the powerful arm paired with a quick release and he's as tough as they come but in order for him to take that next step he needs to put it all together on a more consistent basis I'm looking forward to seeing how he performs here in this one because after hearing him talk throughout the week I think he has his sight set pretty high so you come back out here after watching the opposing team score first and what you want to do is you got to establish a little early Rhythm and get the drive started every offensive coordinator has Drive starters meaning it's a completion it's a run play that we feel great about it's a screen get a little positive energy into that huddle and what hopefully starts out good ends with you being able to get some points of your own third and five from the gun it's Levis and this is going to be incomplete that's great work to get in there and make things difficult defensively setting up a fourth down and this passing game continues to come up short these last couple plays that's two consecutive incompletions in a row now they're staring fourth down right in the face and this is going to work out for out of bounds and they'll mark it inside the 10 the Texans offense going to take over now for the second time they'll have a long field ahead of them as they start first and [Applause] 10 they'll begin on the ground and here's Mixon and that'll be good for about a half dozen it will set up second Downy pi and from the shotgun CJ stra looking middle there but it's incomplete there's a fine line between trusting your arm and having a little bit too much faith in your arm right I think this was one of those situations here Mike where there was nowhere to go with the ball tries to fit that one in there anyway and he's lucky that it just Falls incomplete and this will be a Texans first down as he'll get this up to the 22 [Applause] stra going to set up to throw he'll look deep here for digs and they will bring him down on the other side of Midfield we are through one it's the Texans who have the early lead more from Houston coming up in a moment here's first and [Applause] 10 here's Mixon and that one shut down pretty quickly they'll get back to the line of scrimmage nothing more all the qualities that make a good safety are seen on display on this play speed Pursuit and then the intensity and the strength at the point of contact for the tackle to keep this ball carrier to No Gain that is a complete safety [Applause] play a throw there on second down going to be incomplete just a little bit too much much juice on that one and you just can't throw the ball at of B to give your receiver a chance to go up and compete for the ball but when you miss that far wide he's got no [Applause] shot he dies and What A Catch for the first down a first down there on a game of 12 offensively Landing a lot of body blows on this drive Mike just the ability to steadily March the ball down field and remain so efficient both run and pass as they continue to wear this defense out they have to find a way to end this drive with points anything short of that be a bit of a let down they run on first down with Mixon and a nice run get him about nine it'll bring up second down a up yard [Music] [Applause] they'll go right back to Mixon and he'll work his way for about four yds that's good enough for a first down this offense they're not interested in taking the Deep shot here second and short the way they're running the ball Pound The Rock reset the downs and just keep the drive alive on play action stra oh in trouble down he goes if you're going to take a sack you just can't add to it by taking such a massive loss on top of it understand when the pocket breaks down move up cut your losses now not only do you lose that down but now you face a big uphill battle if you want to extend this drive work to do now as they come up on second and long from the gun here's stad a Dodge and a catch incredible and he's going to be taken down as we hit the two-minute warning here in this first [Applause] half third down and nine [Applause] throwing is stra he's got his tight end it's shook that's his first reception of the ball game and it really comes at a good time as they get the conversion on third down I know I know I'm bias but listen you can't convince me Mike that there's a better option on the field especially when you got a guy like this than on third third down or critical moments that's where the ball needs to go the size the speed the matchup problems that he creates I was in a critical situation there is no doubt where I'm going with the ball man he fit that one in a tight window one thing he showed off was his arm strength and his accuracy but the grand scheme of things it didn't really amount to much throwing on second down stra and that is hot in the end zone he's in Noah BR touchdown Texans tight spaces down there things happen quick Greg a quick decision and great execution for the score you're exactly right Mike down here this close to the goal line everybody's clock has to speed up not only the quarterback processing to get the ball out of his hand but you have to win as a receiver quickly and give the quarterback somewhere to go with the ball it was that quickness at the line of scrimmage that led to that [Applause] touchdown Fair bear able to add the extra point and the Texans move out on top 14 to nothing [Applause] [Applause] and so after the touchdown here's Fair bear to kick it up a safe kick taken at the five and they'll bring him down to shy of the 30 yd line the Titans offense ready for their second possession they're staring at a two touchdown deficit 14 nothing the score as the offense tries to regroup and get going with first and 10 Lis to throw oh after the catch he's hit and the ball is out Mike we hear that term run after catch so often and sometimes people miss that there's kind of a little phe there's the catch but before it turns into a run you have to secure the ball as a ball carrier right it needs to be put away properly held points of pressure front tip up against your body all of that is kind of taken for granted catching it is just step one you've got to secure the ball before you become a runner the Texans offense going to take over here in the final minute of this first half they'll have a short field in front of them as they try to extend this lead out [Applause] further on First and 10 here's strap over the middle he's got the tight end Schulz this is one of those throws where I don't think the risk is worth the reward if you're going to throw the ball into tight coverage and take a chance it better lead to a big gain and in this case a pretty modest pickup considering that was a risky [Applause] throw on second down stra and that's going to be incomplete coverage was good that time the contct jarring the ball loose and forcing third down a rare Miss for a quarterback that we've seen really come out on fire throughout this entire contest I mean his completion percentage Mike is well above League average and frankly it's really the biggest reason why they find themselves out front pressure gets there and down he goes by Sebastian Joseph A L of two y it's Fourth Down fourth down and on comes C Fabe for the Houston field goal this one not going to get there from distance it is no good and this will stay a two possession game man that would have been such a nice boost for this group going into halftime the snap was good the hold was good he just couldn't quite get it through the uprights on First and 10 here's Levis that's deep looking for boy and that is brought in and he's going to be taken down as time runs out on this first half of play okay Mike thank you more from you and Greg in a moment but for now welcome one and all to our EA Sports halftime report we just watched a very good first half out of the Ohio State man CJ stad he fired his guys into the lead with two first half touchdown passes as they were looking like a well oiled machine in the first half of play the highlights are fairly one-sided to this point it's a two touchdown difference here at the break but I wouldn't call this one over just yet I think there could still be some fireworks yet to come all right thank you very much we welcome you back it is quarter number three pretty interesting first half we'll see if any strategy changes for the next 30 minutes or more as this second half gets underway he'll get this past the 20 before he brought down side of the 25 yd line the Titans offense going to have a first trck in it as we begin this third quarter make Trail by two touchdowns so the time is now got to get that rally going it starts with first and 10 he'll look for po out of the back field and he's got this up close to the 35 yd line they get 11 and quickly pick up a first down whatever they've talked about in the locker room at the halftime break seems to have worked they've come out with a new established energy you could see it when they took the field now this offense seems to be building on it with that chunk play just a little bit of Rhythm that they can build off of they got a long way to go to get back into this game but so far off to a good start and he's going to be brought down up past the 45 just his first catch they have held him in check so far but that one gives him a first down every once in a while it just comes down to you need somebody in the Huddle to just make a play and wasn't a whole lot fancy here the quarterback just dumps the ball down a quick underneath completion and then really it's the yards after catch that did the rest and that's what it takes you're not always going to have the perfect play you're not always going to dial up the perfect play against the perfect look sometimes players need to make plays and that was a good one there and he can't hang on through the contact it's incomplete what a good job defensively to meet him just as the ball was arrival and it'll be second down out of the shotgun Lis and nice work after the catch he stopped a little short of the first down marker but it is a pickup of nine and this is where the versatility of the tight end position really starts coming into play Not only do they have to line up with their hand on the ground in line but they can occasionally split out in the slot and man they're too fast for linebackers and a lot of times they're too big for defensive backs 15yd pickup there first down for Tennessee finding yourself down here multiple scores in the second half the defense is going to give you some friendly run looks so don't be afraid to mix it in there but if you're going to find yourself coming back from this deficit you're going to have to do it primarily through the air with just a little bit of mix of the [Applause] Run that's to the right side and inmet think the biggest issue in why they find themselves trailing in this game M has really just been the ups and downs of this passing game at sometimes he's highly accurate and efficient but at others he just misses too many easy throws question is are they going to be able to overcome this quarterback inconsistency and pull this game out that is caught it is Hopkins get about six before he's taken down well it wasn't the most exciting throw today what I want you to watch Mike is the suddenness of the route Runner change of speed change of Direction those the qualities of great route Runners and this guy certainly one of them throw to the sideline well done good job with the feet stays in bounds it looks like and yes they do have the first down it's a gain of 10 and they'll get a first set of downs finally seems that this off has found their Rhythm after what's been a really slow first two quarters they're hopeful that this series can be the spark they continue to be efficient in the passing game and go finish this drive the motion man is B will show Jet Sweep and instead run it up the middle a gain of four as he's taken down the tight end okono is in motion on second down Lis and he's going to be taken down back at the 20 yd line now after taking that loss on the sack it changes your entire approach offensively you go from playing for six so now everything is just about coming away with [Applause] points third and long here's Levis to throw they'll be forced to just throw that one off it's incomplete so defensively there's always the initial pass coverage plan and then when that breaks down and the quarterback goes into scramble mode how fast can you then move on to the second phase and what they call plaster meaning find the nearest receiver and almost play him manto man and it's exactly what they did here and there was nowhere for the ball to go and he's forced to just throw it away folks kick is good and the Titans get there first points of the game they Trail 14- three and when you find yourself down double digits you don't want to make habit of settling for these field goals it does allow them to chip away a little bit and cut into this deficit but they've got to find a way to score touchdowns this taken at the five he'll get this up to the 28 yd line nice place for the drive to start another really nice pick up there Mike and we've seen them continue to utilize him in the passing game really from the jump and these are the kind of numbers you traditionally see out of a number one receiver but at least for this game here he's been their number one option in this offense SC to throw here on first down trying the right side taken in by Collins give him 14 on that play One play one first down Mike think back to our conversation during the break we've kind of both asked ourselves are they content with this double digit lead do they come out and play conservative here in the second half well it took exactly one play to get our answer they continue to get chunk plays like this this thing could get out of reach fast and you'll get about six there setting up second down 4 [Applause] y they'll run out of the gun with Mixon and Tackle going to be made down at the 40 yd line a pickup of 12 yds first down for Houston [Music] so three quarters now in the books you're watching the NFL on EA [Applause] Sports they'll come up first and 10 at the 40 here we [Applause] go and in motion is brown they will work the Middle with Mixon and he finds a little bit of space he'll take this forward for a gain of four [Applause] a second down throw for stra open man downfield it's Nico Collins that's two catches on this drive this one for 23 Ys and really the key to this play was just how fast he was able to get through his progressions his mind was able to process and go from one to two to three so quickly that he was able to get the ball to the right Target on time and I think so often those two things are different being open is one thing being open and getting the ball on time that's what leads to success and that's what we saw here first in [Applause] 10 here's a give up the middle to Mixon uhhuh this just shows why you can't count on just one guy to take him down he's a powerful enough Runner You' got to have guys coming in support when that first hit is made it takes a team effort to stop him especially once he gets going they'll come to the line now on second and two a run here with Mixon he'll take this for a couple but the official signal he has enough first down this is a situation that play callers love to be in Mike they have all their options on the table second and short playaction pass you can run in this case they choose to keep it on the ground play it safe pick up the first [Applause] down they'll run here with Mixon a good blocking and he's inin go Mixon touchdown Houston two touchdowns for him now on the afternoon Greg that's one of those scores where it's not completely over but it's getting to be about that time yeah Mike I just think they're entering Miracle stage right now and I just don't think there's any coming back from this [Applause] deficit Fair Baron good on the point after and prot Mo out to a 21 to3 [Music] [Applause] [Music] advantage and so after the touchdown here's faar to kick it up on the return here's Taj Spears and he is stopped at the 25 the drive will begin there the Titans offense ready for this next possession things not looking good but see they get the turnar around going here they'll start this drive with first down the tight end okono is in motion on first down Levis he's going to get it to okono and he's not going to get get too far tackled after a gain of just a yard his throw right side taken in by Ridley and he's going to be taken down and that will take us to the two-minute warning it's third down third and [Music] six Lis he's got his tight end that's a cono and he's going to take this one all the way 71 yards touchdown Tennessee what a luxury to have in an offense a tight end who can take it down the field like that and take it the distance shades of Greg Olen back in the day well I appreciate that Mike but I think it's clear by now that we all know what's the most impactful position on offense it's the tight end and when you have a guy like this who can not only make those difficult catches underneath but who can get down the field for these big plays man you got yourselves a weapon this one not quite over bued down a couple of scores we're going to get an onside kick well we knew Mike this was going to take a miracle all they needed to do was recover this score recover another one score again unfortunately that's not going to happen and this game's all but [Music] over Texans offense ready to take over possession of the football they start with the lead and the football they do so with tremendous field position it's first and 10 here we go a m this is Mixon he'll work his way ahead for a game of about four the Titans will use the first of their timeouts and they'll get together prior to the second down [Music] play all right now Mixon good running there he's got the first down inside the 30 and all you can do at this point Mike is just really Marvel at how well he's been able to run the ball and throughout the course of the game they've certainly not been shy in giving it to him and I think he's held up his side of the bargain set to go now on First and [Applause] 10 on the ground it's Mixon and this takes him into the Red Zone he's brought down inside the 20 yd [Applause] [Applause] line Victory very much in sight now as they'll take take a [Applause] [Music] [Applause] KNE all [Applause] and he'll get maybe about four yds out of that one lane closed quickly Here Comes third down [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] Victory formation here as he's down to a [Applause] knee C faar on for the field goal a 33 [Applause] [Applause] the so it's a win here for the Texans they proved much the best in this one get a solid performance in all three phases of the game ride back to [Applause] Victory so that'll just about do it for Greg Olen and our entire team I'm Mike too you've been watching the NFL on EA Sports for more log on to easports.com it's a win for the Texans as we say so long from Houston