Tannehill offered his opinion on what needs to happen for the Titans to win the rematch against Houston.

“I think we’ve got to start faster. But then sustain that momentum and just keep it rolling. Be consistent throughout the game. Obviously, you’re not going to score every drive, but you just want to be consistent, move the football and execute,” Tannehill said Sunday during his postgame news conference.

After Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints — in which the team was without the services of running back Derrick Henry, who ranks No. 3 in the league in rushing (1,329 yards) — Tannehill’s record as a starter with the Titans fell to 6-3 since he took over for Marcus Mariota. Henry will suit up on Sunday, but it’s up to Tannehill to lead the Titans to a victory on the road. That’s what franchise quarterbacks are paid to do.

Tannehill has played a key role in helping turn Tennessee’s season around. After four games with Tannehill leading the way, the Titans went from the 19th-ranked red zone offense to the NFL’s best. That’s a spot they still hold, with a 73% success rate.

Statistically, Tannehill is among the league’s top quarterbacks. His 9.56 yards per attempt and total quarterback rating (116.5) are both tops in the NFL. He’s also third in the league, with a 70.7% completion rate. Although the overall stats look good, a stellar performance against the Texans would factor heavily into Tannehill’s quest to land his second lucrative contract.

General manager Jon Robinson has to decide this offseason whether the Titans want to commit beyond 2019 to Tannehill, who will be a free agent. The Titans aren’t in position to draft an instant starter at quarterback. Tannehill could be the bridge to the next franchise quarterback — or he could show that he can be more.

While with the Miami Dolphins in 2016, Tannehill helped the team to an 8-5 record before missing the last three games due to a partially torn ACL. The Dolphins finished with a 10-6 record and made it to the wild-card round of the playoffs. But due to his injury, Tannehill had to watch the wild-card game from the sideline — and that’s the closest he has come to the playoffs.

The upcoming matchup with the Texans offers Tannehill a playoff-like game, according to left tackle Taylor Lewan.

“This is our playoffs,” Lewan said.

Added Vrabel, “The playoffs have started essentially for us because when you get into any kind of playoff when you win, you move on to the next step. When you lose, you’re done. I think that’s really where we’re at right now.”

Marshall still has to prove he can do it on the field. He had only 11 catches for 136 yards and one touchdown in seven games with the Seahawks before being phased out of the rotation — and most of that production came in the first three weeks, before he said he got fully healthy.

It was a similar situation with the Giants last year, when Marshall had just 18 catches for 154 yards and zero touchdowns in five games before landing on IR.

But the Saints could find a role — especially in the red zone — for a 6-foot-5, 232-pound receiver who holds the NFL record with six seasons of 100-plus receptions. Especially since he will now be catching passes from the most accurate QB in NFL history.

“Our paths have crossed a bunch of places off the field. We played in the Pro Bowl together. I’ve known of him for a long time, really heard a lot of good things about him, been a fan of his just watching him on film,” Brees said. “He’s a smart, veteran guy who is very fluid. Seen him in a lot of different offenses. Seen him be successful both as an outside receiver, an inside receiver. He’s very versatile. He’s a big target, a big catching radius. Just watching him run today, he’s pretty impressive.”

“He’s pretty smart. I don’t think that’s gonna be [a problem],” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “He’s had it now for 24 hours, and I feel like he has two positions. It’s one of his strengths.

“This’ll give us a chance to see where he’s at, and week by week take a peek and try to evaluate his skill set to see where and if it fits what we’re doing.”

Teammates once imagined the possibilities with an All-Pro tailback and an emerging weapon working together. Now, after five consecutive wins, they’ve moved past that fantasy.

“I’m not going to comment on someone who’s not in this locker room right now,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said when asked about Bell after Thursday’s 52-21 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Said wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster last month: “[In Conner], you’ve got a young dude who’s just proving what he can do, to Steeler fans and the nation.”

Players were surprised when Bell didn’t show for Week 1, with his own offensive line ripping him for the absence. Guard Ramon Foster and center Maurkice Pouncey both labeled the move selfish. One veteran player told ESPN anonymously: “He f—ed us.”

Things have cooled since then, and many had said they’d welcome Bell back. That’s a moot point now.

Only Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger (40 each) have had more game-winning drives since 2004.

“It doesn’t get old,” Manning said. “It’s fun. It’s fun playing in those games, and having a two-minute drive to win it. Those are the situations you want to be in. You want to have a chance. Obviously, you’d love to have a two-score lead with a little time and run it out or whatnot, but you prepare and practice for those two-minute drives to go win football games.

“To come through is exciting. And the team needs that. The defense needs that, to know that we can do that; offense, we needed that for ourselves, saying, ‘Hey, we can win.’ If we get close in games, we can go win football games. And we just had to do it.”

This one came just in time.

Monday night might have been Manning’s last stand. He was struggling. So were the Giants (2-7). Had Manning played poorly, his starting job was likely in jeopardy. Coach Pat Shurmur would only guarantee publicly that Manning would start against the 49ers. Nothing more.

When asked about his future, Manning said: “I am happy to be playing football.”

This kind of performance, especially late in the game, was meaningful for Manning and the Giants. They have heard the buzz throughout a woeful first half of the season.

“It frustrates me when people go at him. I see that from the media, but you wouldn’t want a better guy with the ball in his hands,” Shepard said. “You saw what he did on that last drive. When we need him, he’s going to come through for us.”

“[Told him] the same thing I always tell him. ‘Take me home, 10,'” said wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who caught a pair of touchdown passes in the contest.

play

Odell Beckham Jr. hauls in a pair of touchdowns in the Giants’ win vs. the 49ers, with one coming immediately after he nearly made an insane catch.

The game-winner came when Manning hit Shepard just past the goal line near the pylon. Shepard made a leaping catch with 53 seconds remaining to put the Giants ahead.

It was a vintage Manning drive reminiscent of the prime of his career.

“After we went and scored, I came back on the sideline and was like, ‘Man, you been doing this since I was like 12,'” rookie running back Saquon Barkley said. “That’s Eli. When he’s in those moments, he’s a heck of a player.

“When you’re around him you know why. When you’re young and you’re watching TV you’re like, ‘Wow. He’s just making those plays.’ But his craft that he works on. Such a smart player. Such a hard worker — on and off the field. In these positions he just thrives.”

Manning went 6-of-9 for 69 yards and a touchdown on the final drive. It came in his most productive game of the season, and put to rest a long two weeks in which he faced constant questions about his future.