C.J. Stroud threw a touchdown pass and Damien Pierce rushed for 176 yards and another score as the Houston Texans tuned up for the playoffs with a 23-14 defeat of the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in Nashville.With their loss and the New England Patriots’ victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, the Titans hold the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.Stroud hit all six of his passes for 50 yards on the game’s first possession, finding Nico Collins for a 2-yard strike at the 7:43 mark. Houston coach DeMeco Ryans hooked Stroud at that point and used backup Davis Mills, who was 12 of 22 for 128 yards.A large portion of Pierce’s yardage came via a 92-yard touchdown run with 13:55 left in the second quarter that gave the Texans (10-7) a 13-0 lead.Houston, which clinched the AFC South title in Week 15, will likely host a wild-card game next weekend.Tennessee (3-14) started Will Levis at quarterback and also used Mason Rudolph. Levis hit 9 of 17 passes for 175 yards, including a 49-yard scoring strike to Tay Martin with 2:41 left in the game, while Rudolph was 7 of 9 for 70 yards.