NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Case Keenum gamely scrambled to his right, eluding pressure and making eye contact downfield with running back Devin Singletary in a bit of improvisation on the fly in a crucial moment.
For Keenum, it was something the gritty veteran quarterback has done so many times in his dozen NFL seasons: staying ultra-focused and composed whenever he’s called upon. Although he’s up in years for a professional athlete, Keenum still has plenty of juice.
Sunday represented a gut check kind of game for the Texans as they work to remain in the hunt for the playoffs in the ultra-crowded AFC. And Keenum was the choice of Texans coach DeMeco Ryans to lead the team with rookie standout quarterback C.J. Stroud out with a concussion as the former University of Houston standout leapfrogged backup Davis Mills on the depth chart in a pivotal AFC South game.
When Keenum moved out of the pocket, the 12th-year professional found running back Devin ‘Motor’ Singletary for a 41-yard catch-and-run that set up kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 54-yard game-winning field goal. That clutch play was a textbook example of staying composed as that helped boost the Texans to a 19-16 overtime victory over the Tennessee Titans as Keenum improved to 30-35 overall as an NFL starter.
“Case Money, that’s my guy,” Singletary said of the quarterback who once engineered the ‘Minnesota Miracle’ touchdown pass to Stephon Diggs for the Vikings to win a playoff game over the New Orleans Saints. “That shows the type of guy he is. That’s hard to do, to stay prepared to play, even sometimes you might not play, but when your moment finally comes, you answer that bell. It speaks volumes on what type of guy he is”
Keenum, a 35-year-old former undrafted free agent who signed with the Texans and went 2-0 as a replacement for Ryan Fitzpatrick when he broke his leg, has gone 3-0 in his last three starts for the franchise since 2014. He went 0-8 in 2013 as a starter.
“Case Keenum been getting it done,” Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil said. “Ain’t no surprise to me.”
Keenum manufactured a workmanlike performance, completing 23 of 36 passes for 229 yards, one touchdown pass to wide receiver Noah Brown and overcame an early pick-six interception.
“I’m built for this,” Keenum said. “I’ve been in a lot of situations. I’ve been in a lot of systems, been in a lot of different games. And God’s made me who I am for this, for moments like this. And just trying to make sure that I’m ready when my number’s called. I said it before, you don’t have to get ready if you stay ready.”
When Titans cornerback Elijah Molden jumped a pass intended for running back Dare Ogunbowale and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown, the Texans fell behind 13-0, but they stayed resolute. As did Keenum.
The play looked like a miscommunication as Keenum was throwing to a spot, and it appeared that Ogunbowale wasn’t exactly where he thought he would be. Keenum took accountability for the error.
“We put ourselves in a hole early,” Keenum said. " You know, a big mistake by me. I pride myself in taking care of the football, and that was a really bad decision on a on a key play that didn’t need to do that. It was an easy read front side and got ahead of my feet a little bit. Awesome win.”
By winning this game, the Texans improved to 8-6, the same record held by the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South. Should the Texans defeat the Cleveland Browns, Titans again in two weeks and close out the regular season against the Colts with a victory, they will qualify for the playoffs one year after going 3-13-1 under former coach Lovie Smith.
“I think that everybody on this team looks at adversity as opportunity, ready to overcome, ready to go on to the next play,” Keenum said. “And you need that in this type of league. If you’re going to go and be a playoff contender, get to the dance, succeed in the dance, you got to be gritty. You have to be willing to stand up when you get punched in the face and get knocked down, get back up and go do it.
“And there was no blinking on that sideline. Nobody blinked. When I threw that pick came off, had everybody slap me on the back and say, ‘That’s alright. We’ll go do it.’ And we did. It was great. I’m just so happy for the McNairs, to hug them on the way out, coach DeMeco, this whole team, this whole squad, for the city, it’s pretty special.”
Under new coach DeMeco Ryans, the former Pro Bowl linebacker and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, the Texans have emerged as a hard-nosed, competitive outfit.
Without Keenum under center with his considerable experience, perhaps the Texans don’t win this game.
“I felt like it gave us the best chance to win this game,” Ryans said of a personnel decision first reported by KPRC at midnight Saturday via multiple league sources.
Keenum bounced back from the interception and a difficult first half overall where he completed 11 of 17 throws for just 83 yards and a 51.8 passer rating.
“Case just has the experience, he’s been there, he’s done that,” Ryans said. “He told the guys this isn’t his first rodeo. He’s won big games. This was a big game for us. And he’s been there before, so it wasn’t too big for him. He made the right plays, and he helped us. Case did a really nice job today.
“I mean being very efficient, keeping us moving, and no play bigger than the play there at the end. Seeing him scramble around to find ‘Motor’ for the big, explosive pass to put us in field goal range, it shows Case is just a true professional even though he hasn’t played in a while, he’s ready for the moment. He let our guys know he was ready for the moment, and he showed up and made big-time plays for us.”
One of Keenum’s best throws was a red-zone touchdown to Brown that tied the score at 16-16 late in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.
Although Keenum didn’t have wide receivers Nico Collins (strained calf) and Tank Dell (out for the season with a broken fibula), he made good use of Brown, who caught eight passes for 82 yards and a score on 11 targets. He also four passes for 58 yards to tight end Dalton Schultz in his first game back from a strained hamstring. Schultz muscled the football away from Titans cornerback Roger McCreary prior to Brown’s touchdown.
The 41-yarder to Singletary doesn’t happen if Keenum doesn’t have the mobility, juice and energy to make it happen.
“A scramble drill, we were working left to right there and just was able to escape up in the pocket, and Devin was my checkdown on the play basically,” Keenum said. “He was able to break out of that and make a really good move with nobody on that side of the field.”
Gospel music played loudly in the Texans’ victorious locker room as Keenum got dressed for his press conference next door. Keenum, who set NCAA passing records for the Coogs, has played for the Rams, Texans, Vikings, Denver Broncos, Washington franchise, the Cleveland Browns, whom he last started for in a January 2022 game, and the Buffalo Bills.
The Brownwood native has played for everyone from Gary Kubiak to Bill O’Brien and Ryans, signing a two-year, $6.25 million contract last offseason.
Keenum hugged Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair and foundation vice president Hannah McNair as he headed off the field Sunday.
“It has been a minute, it meant so much to me,” Keenum said. “Wearing the name of Houston on the front of my jersey which I have done for a long time and to get to do it again and represent for our city, for our team, it means a lot.
“It really does. Second of all, this team, I love these guys. We’ve got a lot of love in that locker room as you guys can see and probably it radiates. So, it’s very special and what a gritty way to get it done.”
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to Sports Talk 790