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Titans hold off wounded Texans, stay alive |
CBSSports.com wire reports
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
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Cam Newton leads Carolina Panthers over Houston… |
HOUSTON — Cam Newton threw two touchdown passes, DeAngelo Williams ran for a score and the Carolina Panthers ended Houston’s seven-game winning streak with a 28-13 victory over the Texans on Sunday. Newton completed 13-of-23 passes for 149 yards, outplaying opposing rookie quarterback T.J. Yates. The Panthers (5-9) built a 21-0 halftime lead, then ended Houston’s second-half rally when linebacker James Anderson intercepted Yates in the end zone midway through the fourth quarter. The Texans (10-4) are playing for home-field advantage in the playoffs after clinching the AFC South last weekend. But their top-ranked defense looked vulnerable without coordinator Wade Phillips, who’s on medical leave after kidney and gallbladder surgery last week. Linebackers coach Reggie Herring made the defensive calls Sunday. Houston gave up only 316 yards, but Carolina converted two Texans turnovers into 14 points. “I just think the overall theme of the day was, we gave up big plays and there were discipline parts of the game that we were not very disciplined on, as we have been throughout the year,” Herring said. “We obviously didn’t execute very well.” Thanks for visiting our blog =). |
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Texans’ coach Phillips takes medical leave |
Wade Phillips, the veteran coach who has turned the Houston defence into the NFL’s best, is taking medical leave to have surgery to address a kidney condition this week. The Texans said Wednesday that the 64-year-old Phillips is expected to return this season, which will include the expansion team’s first playoff game. But his leave is just the latest roadblock for the Texans, who’ve continued to win despite losing a key player to an injury every week. Linebackers coach Reggie Herring will run the defence for Houston (10-3) in Sunday’s game against Carolina (4-9). Herring was Phillips’ linebackers coach in Dallas from 2008-10, then joined Houston’s staff after Phillips was hired on Jan. 5. Phillips was expected to speak to reporters after Wednesday’s practice. Outside linebacker Mario Williams (torn chest muscle) and quarterbacks Matt Schaub (right foot injury) and Matt Leinart (broken left collarbone) are all out for the season, and star receiver Andre Johnson has a strained left hamstring after missing six games with an injury to his right hamstring. On Monday, coach Gary Kubiak said starting right guard Mike Brisiel had surgery on his broken right leg. But Phillips has probably contributed more to the Texans’ success this season than anyone. Fired as the coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the middle of last season, Phillips has talked about feeling rejuvenated with the Texans. He took over the league’s worst 2010 defence and implemented a 3-4 alignment before the season. Houston leads the league in total defense at 275 yards per game. The Texans rank fourth in rushing defense at 91.5 yards per game and third in pass defense at 183.5 yards per game, and have held each of their last seven opponents below 20 points. The players credit Phillips with not only restoring confidence to the defence, but also creating a scheme that is fun to play. “We’re playing good defence all over,” two-time Pro Bowl linebacker DeMeco Ryans said recently. “Of course it feels good, to be able to get out there and stop some people. You’re definitely not worried about people scoring on you because you know everybody is being accountable. Everybody’s holding up their end and knowing what they’re supposed to do, so you’re comfortable when you’re out there.” Under Phillips’ guidance, several Texans are having career years. Linebacker Brian Cushing has regained his form from 2009, when he was named the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year. He leads the Texans with 86 tackles, and also has two interceptions and three sacks. Outside linebacker Connor Barwin leads the team with 9 ½ sacks after moving into Williams’ role, and the same position where DeMarcus Ware excelled under Phillips in Dallas. Barwin, a converted defensive end, has 25 quarterback hits and seven pass break-ups. He had a franchise-record four sacks in Houston’s 20-13 win at Jacksonville on Nov. 27. Rookie defensive end J.J. Watt has 4 ½ sacks and two fumble recoveries and leads the defensive line with 43 tackles, and rookie linebacker Brooks Reed, pressed into action after Williams was hurt, has already set a franchise record for a first-year player with six sacks. Phillips has clearly found a new home in Houston under coach Gary Kubiak. He ran the defense in Denver from 1989-92, overlapping Kubiak’s playing career as John Elway’s backup for the Broncos, but their history goes back even further. Phillips and Kubiak first met in the late 1970s, when Kubiak was a ball boy and Wade was an assistant for the Houston Oilers, who were coached by Wade’s father, Bum. Feel free to leave your comments below. |
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Houston Texans feeling good about where they’re at |
ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSTON — Texans nose tackle Shaun Cody is known around the locker room for his sense of humor. He’s the star of comical video skits on the team’s website, and he grabbed a microphone and serenaded Arian Foster as he was being interviewed last week. Cody was joking again after Sunday’s 30-12 win over Cleveland when he said, “Super Bowl, here we come.” That might not be too much of a stretch. The first-place Texans (6-3) have won three in a row to move three games over .500 for the first time, heading into Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay (4-4). And with each victory, there seems to be more reasons to believe Houston will continue to roll. Houston has held its last three opponents under 200 yards and now leads the league in total defense (274 per game). More remarkably, the Texans rank second against the pass (182.6 yards per game) after finishing last in 2010. The players and coach Gary Kubiak credit Wade Phillips for the defensive resurgence. The new coordinator re-energized the unit during a transition to a 3-4 alignment, and Kubiak found out Monday that his team now boasts the league’s top defense. “We’ve come a long way,” Kubiak said. “Hopefully, there’s a lot more good things to come.” The offense, meanwhile, has relied on Foster and Ben Tate to overcome the absence of star receiver Andre Johnson, who’s missed five games with a right hamstring injury. Foster and Tate both rushed for over 100 yards in Sunday’s rout of Cleveland, the second time in three weeks the duo has done that in the same game. The Texans rank second in rushing (155 yards per game) and are the only team with two backs inside the league’s top 10. Foster had 19 carries for 124 yards and Tate had 12 rushes for 115 on Sunday. With solid kicking against the Browns, Kubiak is seeing the versatility he envisioned when he took over the team in 2006. “I tell you guys all the time, (the goal) is hopefully get a team that’s good enough when you show up on Sunday that you can win three different ways,” Kubiak said. “Right now, I think we’re heading very much towards that.” What are your opinions. |
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Jets Gameday: Houston Texans host Jets in… |
Preseason Opener at Houston Texans THREE POSITIONS TO WATCH 1. Defensive Line 2. Wide Receiver 3. Offensive Line Some other names to look for will be Chris Stewart, the 6-5, 351-pound undrafted guard out of Notre Dame who has turned some heads in camp so far, along with Pete Clifford, who saw a little bit of time with the first team during drills. Matt Kroul, who spent the last eight years of his career (including high school and college) on the defensive line, has flipped to the offensive line and will likely see reps with the third team. FOUR DOWNS WITH … 1. How’s the offense going to look? 2. You ready to see Houston, a change of pace? 3. What about Plaxico? Do you have enough time to build up chemistry? 4. But you did have time to work a little with your newest weapon, Derrick Mason. What do you think about him? Conor Orr: corr@starledger.com If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. |
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