CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 1, 2012

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans talked all week about the importance of beating Tennessee on Sunday to enter the playoffs on the right track.

In the end, coach Gary Kubiak decided keeping his key players healthy entering next week was more important than a victory.

Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes and the Titans kept alive their playoff hopes briefly with a 23-22 victory over Houston on Sunday after the Texans failed to convert a 2-point conversion attempt that would have won the game.

Houston (10-6) will head into its first postseason on a three-game losing streak. The Texans were locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs and Kubiak played mostly reserves in the second half.

“You would never go for two there in any other situation … but I had to get them to next week,” Kubiak said.

The Titans (9-7) earned their first winning record since 2008 in Mike Munchak’s first season, but their postseason fate depended on the outcome of later games in Cincinnati, Oakland and Denver.

Tennessee got some early help when the New York Jets lost in Miami, but was knocked out of playoff contention when the Broncos lost to Kansas City in a late game.

Rookie starter T.J. Yates left the game after one series and was replaced by Jake Delhomme. Kubiak said Yates had a bruised left shoulder but could’ve returned if necessary.

“Obviously, I didn’t want him to go back in the game,” Kubiak said. “We’ll know better where we’re at (Monday) at this point.”

The 36-year-old Delhomme, signed Nov. 29 in the wake of season-ending injuries to starter Matt Schaub and backup Matt Leinart, completed 18 of 28 passes, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to Bryant Johnson with 14 seconds left.

Kubiak called for a 2-point conversion at the end. But after a false start penalty, backup center Thomas Austin snapped the ball over Delhomme’s head and the game was over.

The Texans certainly weren’t happy about losing, but won’t spend any time thinking about what happened on Sunday.

“We’re ripping off the rear-view mirror,” tight end Joel Dreessen said. “The regular season is over with, and the Texans are officially invited to the postseason. We open up at home, in one week. And that’s our focus right now. It’s a whole new season, and we have to play at our best.”

Chris Johnson ran for 61 yards, and Rob Bironas kicked three field goals for Tennessee. The Titans needed a Bengals loss and victories by Oakland and Denver to earn a postseason rematch with the Texans back in Houston next week.

The Texans had other concerns after the loss.

Yates was sacked on Houston’s first snap by Jurrell Casey and Derrick Morgan. He completed passes to Joel Dreessen and James Casey for first downs, before Tate and Derrick Ward started alternating touches for the rest of the drive.

Tate finished that drive with a touchdown, but Yates came off the field favoring his left shoulder and went to the locker room.

Titans defensive end Dave Ball sacked Delhomme and knocked the ball loose, and safety Chris Hope recovered at the Texans 33. Hasselbeck threw a 25-yard pass to Jared Cook, then found Donnie Avery in the corner of the end zone to move Tennessee in front.

Delhomme threw a 16-yard pass to Andre Johnson to get Houston moving again. Johnson caught two passes and sat out the second half after missing the previous three games with a strained left hamstring.

Neil Rackers kicked a 52-yard field goal with 1:09 left in the first half, but Bironas booted a 43-yarder on the final play before the break to put Tennessee up 13-10. Bironas extended his own NFL record by kicking a field goal of 40 yards or longer for the 10th consecutive game.

The Texans rallied to tie it at 16-all, but Kubiak had most of his defensive starters on the bench in the fourth quarter. Nate Washington got behind rookie cornerback Brandon Harris and third-string safety Quintin Demps for a 23-yard touchdown with 4:31 remaining.

Texans linebacker Jesse Nading recovered a fumble by Ahmard Hall with less than two minutes left, and Delhomme completed 5 of 6 passes to drive Houston for the late touchdown.

Notes: Andre Johnson played about 20 snaps. Kubiak said he isn’t ready to play 70 plays next week, but that he should be able to go 45-50. … Kubiak said Houston OLB Bryan Braman has a stinger. … Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips worked from the press box after missing two games following kidney and gall bladder surgery.eld favoring his left shoulder and went to the locker room.

Titans defensive end Dave Ball sacked Delhomme and knocked the ball loose, and safety Chris Hope recovered at the Texans 33. Hasselbeck threw a 25-yard pass to Jared Cook, then found Donnie Avery in the corner of the end zone to move Tennessee in front.

Delhomme threw a 16-yard pass to Andre Johnson to get Houston moving again. Johnson caught two passes and sat out the second half after missing the previous three games with a strained left hamstring.

Neil Rackers kicked a 52-yard field goal with 1:09 left in the first half, but Bironas booted a 43-yarder on the final play before the break to put Tennessee up 13-10. Bironas extended his own NFL record by kicking a field goal of 40 yards or longer for the 10th consecutive game.

The Texans rallied to tie it at 16-all, but Kubiak had most of his defensive starters on the bench in the fourth quarter. Nate Washington got behind rookie cornerback Brandon Harris and third-string safety Quintin Demps for a 23-yard touchdown with 4:31 remaining.

Texans linebacker Jesse Nading recovered a fumble by Ahmard Hall with less than two minutes left, and Delhomme completed 5 of 6 passes to drive Houston for the late touchdown.

Notes

• Hall and Titans LT Mike Otto left with “probable” concussions, Munchak said. WR Damian Williams has a rib injury, Munchak said, and would be re-evaluated Monday.
• Chris Johnson is the third player in Titans history to reach 1,000 yards rushing in at least four straight seasons, joining Eddie George (1996-2000) and Earl Campbell (1978-81)..
• Bironas extended his own NFL record by kicking a field goal of at least 40 yards in his 10th consecutive game.
• The Texans dropped to 5-1 in season finales under Kubiak.
• Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips worked from the press box after missing two games following kidney and gall bladder surgery.

The Houston Texans talked all week about the importance of
beating Tennessee on Sunday to enter the playoffs on the right
track.

In the end, coach Gary Kubiak decided keeping his key players
healthy entering next week was more important than a victory.

Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes and the Titans kept
alive their playoff hopes with a 23-22 victory over Houston on
Sunday after the Texans failed to convert a 2-point conversion
attempt that would have won the game.

Houston (10-6) will head into its first postseason on a
three-game losing streak. The Texans were locked into the No. 3
seed in the AFC playoffs and Kubiak played mostly reserves in the
second half.

“You would never go for two there in any other situation … but
I had to get them to next week,” Kubiak said.

The Texans will face Cincinnati in Houston next Saturday
afternoon at Reliant Stadium.

The Titans (9-7) earned their first winning record since 2008 in
Mike Munchak’s first season, but their postseason fate depended on
the outcome of later games in Cincinnati, Oakland and Denver.

Tennessee got some early help when the New York Jets lost in
Miami, but was knocked out of playoff contention when the Broncos
lost to Kansas City in a late game.

Rookie starter T.J. Yates left the game after one series and was
replaced by Jake Delhomme. Kubiak said Yates had a bruised left
shoulder but could’ve returned if necessary.

“Obviously, I didn’t want him to go back in the game,” Kubiak
said. “We’ll know better where we’re at (Monday) at this
point.”

The 36-year-old Delhomme, signed Nov. 29 in the wake of
season-ending injuries to starter Matt Schaub and backup Matt
Leinart, completed 18 of 28 passes, including a 5-yard touchdown
pass to Bryant Johnson with 14 seconds left.

Kubiak called for a 2-point conversion at the end. But after a
false start penalty, backup center Thomas Austin snapped the ball
over Delhomme’s head and the game was over.

The Texans certainly weren’t happy about losing, but won’t spend
any time thinking about what happened on Sunday.

“We’re ripping off the rear-view mirror,” tight end Joel
Dreessen said. “The regular season is over with, and the Texans are
officially invited to the postseason. We open up at home, in one
week. And that’s our focus right now. It’s a whole new season, and
we have to play at our best.”

Chris Johnson ran for 61 yards, and Rob Bironas kicked three
field goals for Tennessee. The Titans needed a Bengals loss and
victories by Oakland and Denver to earn a postseason rematch with
the Texans back in Houston next week.

The Texans had other concerns after the loss.

Yates was sacked on Houston’s first snap by Jurrell Casey and
Derrick Morgan. He completed passes to Dreessen and James Casey for
first downs, before Tate and Derrick Ward started alternating
touches for the rest of the drive.

Tate finished that drive with a touchdown, but Yates came off
the field favoring his left shoulder and went to the locker
room.

Titans defensive end Dave Ball sacked Delhomme and knocked the
ball loose, and safety Chris Hope recovered at the Texans 33.
Hasselbeck threw a 25-yard pass to Jared Cook, then found Donnie
Avery in the corner of the end zone to move Tennessee in front.

Delhomme threw a 16-yard pass to Andre Johnson to get Houston
moving again. Johnson caught two passes and sat out the second half
after missing the previous three games with a strained left
hamstring.

Neil Rackers kicked a 52-yard field goal with 1:09 left in the
first half, but Bironas booted a 43-yarder on the final play before
the break to put Tennessee up 13-10. Bironas extended his own NFL
record by kicking a field goal of 40 yards or longer for the 10th
consecutive game.

The Texans rallied to tie it at 16-all, but Kubiak had most of
his defensive starters on the bench in the fourth quarter. Nate
Washington got behind rookie cornerback Brandon Harris and
third-string safety Quintin Demps for a 23-yard touchdown with 4:31
remaining.

Texans linebacker Jesse Nading recovered a fumble by Ahmard Hall
with less than two minutes left, and Delhomme completed 5 of 6
passes to drive Houston for the late touchdown.

Notes: Andre Johnson played about 20 snaps. Kubiak said he isn’t
ready to play 70 plays next week, but that he should be able to go
45-50. … Kubiak said Houston OLB Bryan Braman has a stinger. …
Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips worked from the press box after
missing two games following kidney and gall bladder surgery.

The Houston Texans’ season seems to be unraveling
at the worst possible time.

Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates and the vaunted defense struggled again Thursday night, and the playoff-bound Texans lost 19-16 to lowly Indianapolis, their second straight defeat after seven consecutive victories.

Houston (10-5) clinched its first AFC South title and playoff berth on Dec. 11, but has followed up with back-to-back poor performances.

The Texans lost 28-13 to Cam Newton and Carolina on Sunday, then couldn’t stop Dan Orlovsky from rallying the Colts in the fourth quarter.

Houston went 1-for-10 on third downs and committed a season-high 11 penalties to drop to 0-10 in Indianapolis.

The Texans wrap up the regular season at home against Tennessee on Jan. 1.

HOUSTON — The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans have different
objectives in mind heading into today’s regular-season finale.

For the Titans (8-7), the goal is clear-cut — win at Reliant
Stadium and then hope for the magic combination of losses involving
Cincinnati, Denver, Oakland and the New York Jets to earn their
first playoff berth since 2008.

And that would set up a rematch with the Texans in the first
round of the postseason right back in Houston.

“If we don’t take care of our business, there will be no
scoreboard watching,” kicker Rob Bironas said. “We’ll be on the
couch watching — for all of January.”

For the Texans (10-5), the incentive is more intangible —
regaining the momentum they seem to have lost in two consecutive
defeats after reeling off seven straight wins to clinch their first
AFC South title.

Houston has nothing at stake in terms of postseason positioning.
The Texans are locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC, and will host
a game on the first weekend of the playoffs, no matter what
happens.

But no one in the locker room wants to go into the franchise’s
first postseason game riding a losing streak.

“This game is more important than most people will ever know,”
defensive end Antonio Smith said. “You think that since it doesn’t
hurt us or help us as far as the playoff run, that it doesn’t
matter.

“You’ve got to be firing on all cylinders when you go into the
playoffs,” he said. “If not, man, ain’t no telling what will
happen.”

The Texans kick-started their regular season with a 41-7 victory
in Nashville on Oct. 23. They stayed in first place for the rest of
the regular season, despite playing most of their games without
star receiver Andre Johnson.

The five-time Pro Bowl selection has been practicing this week,
and coach Gary Kubiak expects Johnson to play in the finale.
Johnson sat out six games with a right hamstring injury that
required minor surgery, started the next two games and then
strained his left hamstring. He’s been sidelined for the last three
games, and he’s eager to see some action on Sunday, just so he can
regain some stamina and timing.

“I’m excited,” Johnson said. “I feel like I haven’t played
football all year. It’ll be fun to get back out there and run
around a little bit.”

Houston also hopes to have defensive coordinator Wade Phillips
back calling the plays, but from the press box instead of on the
sideline. Phillips, 64, returned to practice this week after
undergoing kidney and gall bladder surgery on Dec. 15.

“It’s awesome to have him back,” rookie outside linebacker
Brooks Reed said. “He just has that personality where no matter
what goes wrong, he’s always calm and I think that is kind of
contagious throughout.”

The Titans, meanwhile, only have flickering playoff hopes
because of a 23-17 victory over Jacksonville last week. They lost
to the previously winless Colts on Dec. 18, a setback that now
looms large.

And they also remember how the Texans manhandled them on their
home field, holding Tennessee to 148 yards and 11 first downs.
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck conceded that the Titans took their
divisional rivals too lightly the first time around.

“I think we probably underestimated how good they were
physically,” Hasselbeck said. “They’re one of the premier teams in
the NFL this year and it just hasn’t been the case sometimes in the
past.

“They were fantastic that game we played against them here,” he
said. “They were making plays all over the field in all phases and
they really took it to us. I think that’s probably the toughest
game we’ve played this year in terms of just, we were feeling one
thing and they really disrupted what our thoughts were and took it
to us.”

Chris Johnson rushed for only 18 yards in that game, but he’s
had three 100-yard games since, all Tennessee victories. Johnson
needs only 14 yards rushing on Sunday to reach 1,000 yards for the
fourth consecutive season.

“We’re fully aware that he can just break out any time,” Reed
said, “and we just need to secure edges and just make sure he
doesn’t get out in too many open spaces because that’s where he’s
dangerous.”

The Texans’ running backs dominated the earlier meeting.

Arian Foster and Ben Tate both went over 100 yards, and Foster
also had 100 yards receiving. Foster, named to the Pro Bowl for the
second straight season, has seven 100-yard games this year and has
topped 100 yards rushing in Houston’s last two season finales, both
victories.

Receiver Andre Johnson could actually put up some good fantasy numbers on Sunday. His Houston Texans go up against the Tennessee Titans in the last game of the regular season and Johnson looks to get in on a number of plays. He missed the last three games due to a strained left hamstring, further compounding his issue with injuries during the 2011 NFL season. For fantasy football owners he became one of the most frustrating players to have this year.

In Week 13 against the Atlanta Falcons, Johnson had 9.7 fantasy points in the 17-10 win. It was only the sixth game that he had played in 2011, but the 4 catches and 97 receiving yards really helped out the Titans. It ended up just becoming a big tease to those that play fantasy football, because he would then miss the next three weeks.

After starting out the season with three good games, it really looked like Johnson was going to put up some of the best numbers of his career. He had 21 catches for 316 yards and 2 touchdowns heading into Week 4, showing that he could threaten the 100-catch 1,600-yard mark for the year. It didn’t go according to plan though, and injuries caused him to miss nine games of the fantasy season. Now he returns in Week 17 during a time when many fantasy leagues have actually already finished.

There are some Texans fans frustrated with the news that Johnson is even returning before the playoffs, simply because a hamstring injury is one of the easiest to worsen on the football field. One bad cut or misstep and Johnson could miss the playoffs, likely taking away one of the best weapons that the Texans have on offense. This is where the risk also comes in for fantasy football owners, because while Johnson has the opportunity to make a big play or two, he might have very limited playing time. If the quarterback(s) can’t get him the ball early, then he may not post very good stats for the day.

Consider Johnson a risk as a fantasy starter in Week 17, though he does have the potential to put up big numbers on the first two drives alone. Starting a receiver that will play a full game in Week 17 is definitely a safer bet at this point, but most league champions know when to play it safe and when to bet on a talented player trying to prove something.

More From YCN:

Best_Week_16_Players

Best Fantasy Tight Ends

Best_Week_16_Defenses

Best_Five_Fantasy_Players

Tim_Tebow_Beats_Tom_Brady

Sources:

Week 16 NFL Scores

Defensive Team Leaders

Yahoo! Fantasy Football

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.