Whitney Mercilus: Houston Texans aren't panicking

They're tied atop the AFC South, but the Houston Texans have failed to resemble playoff material of late.

After nipping the woeful Jaguars by three points in Week 10, coach Bill O'Brien's team has been overmatched in back-to-back losses to the Raiders and Chargers.

The bulk of their problems chart back to offense, where uber-expensive signal-caller Brock Osweiler has struggled mightily for a limited attack managing more points than just the Bears, Rams and winless Browns.

Suddenly notched with the Titans atop the division, is it time for Houston's fan base to come undone?

"Man, everybody is panicking," edge rusher Whitney Mercilus said of the public reaction to the team's recent play, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. "I don't understand why. We're still at the top of our division. The thing is, we control our own destiny. We just have to play better ball as we move forward in December. Like I said, get that ticket to the big dance at the end."

Offensive tackle Duane Brown agreed, saying: "I think we're a resilient group. I think everybody in here knows the season isn't lost and we have a lot to play for. We have to snap out of it. We have enough veterans in here to relay that message to the younger guys that may not understand."

With games remaining against the Packers, Colts, Jaguars, Bengals and Titans, Houston's season might very well boil to that regular-season finale with Tennessee and their promising, young signal-caller, Marcus Mariota.

The Titans bring an entirely different energy to the table because of Mariota's sensational play. On the edge of December, Tennessee -- not Houston -- looks like the team to beat in the South.

The Texans, though, don't have time for doubters, with Brown telling reporters after another Sunday loss: "It all starts this week. We have a great challenge ahead of us. The things that weren't working we have to turn around pretty quickly."