Houston can’t avoid familiar result
HOUSTON — With their opponent needing a win, the Texans made them work for it.
Ultimately, they couldn’t avoid an all-too-familiar result.
The Tennessee Titans rebuffed the Texans’ comeback bid, winning their regular-season finale 2825 on Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium.
The Titans (12-5) clinched the top playoff seed in the AFC and the lone first-round bye. The Texans, meanwhile, finished with their second straight four-win season, only this one came with 13 losses thanks to the NFL’S new 17-game season. They will pick third in the NFL draft that begins April 28.
The Texans, who once trailed by 21 points, twice drew within three points but couldn’t complete an improbable comeback. After a lackluster first half, Texans rookie quarterback Davis Mills finished 23-of-33 for 301 yards and three touchdown passes. Two were to veteran receiver Danny Amendola, who had his best game of an injury-plagued season with seven catches for 113 yards.
Houston coach David Culley was encouraged by how his team finished after a slow start.
“This football team has always played hard,” Culley said. “We haven’t always played smart, but we’ve played hard. Today I think we played hard and we played smart.”
On third-and-2 at the Houston 48 with 2:53 left, Titans running back Dontrell Hilliard — a former Texan — lunged for the first down. The ruling was upheld after Culley challenged, costing his team its final timeout.
The Titans then iced the victory after another Hilliard first-down run.
Trailing 21-18 with 10:20 left in the fourth quarter, the Titans faced third-and-5 at their own 30. Texans defensive end Jacob Martin looked to have quarterback Ryan Tannehill wrapped up for a sack, but he escaped and hit Nick Westbrook-ikhine on the right sideline for a 36-yard gain to the Houston 34.
Five plays later, Tannehill connected with Julio Jones for a 3-yard touchdown pass, the latter’s first of the season, for a 28-18 lead with seven minutes left.
“I told the guys: ‘We need to make a play. We need our best right now,’ ” Tannehill said.
The Texans again got within three points on Mills’ 26-yard TD pass to Amendola with 4:04 left, but couldn’t get the ball back.
The Texans trailed 21-0 at halftime after the Titans scored three second-quarter touchdowns.
The first, with 7:40 left, came on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Tannheill to Anthony Firkser to cap an 11-play, 94-yard drive.
Tennessee then added a pair of touchdowns during the final two minutes of the half.
With 1:34 left, Tannehill and A.J. Brown, who’s dominated the Texans during his brief career, connected for a 14-yard TD pass that finished a nine-play, 85-yard drive.
Tannehill’s big day — 23 of 32 for 287 yards — came after he threw a career-high four interceptions in a 22-13 loss the first time Tennessee played Houston this season on Nov. 21.
“He came up with some huge plays,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “I thought he was in command most of the day executing the stuff.”
A Texans penalty on the ensuing kickoff wiped out a long return by Tremon Smith. Houston then went three and out to give the Titans the ball back with 44 seconds left.
Five plays later, a Tannehill heave to the end zone resulted in Texans safety Eric Murray being called for pass interference, giving the Titans the ball at the 4.
On the next play, Tannehill hit Westbrook-ikhine for a touchdown pass and 21-0 lead with 11 seconds to go in the half.
The Texans responded with the next 18 points.
First, they used a bit of trickery, with Mills finding Chris Moore for a 28-yard touchdown pass on a flea-flicker with 9:46 left in the third quarter.
After the Texans made it 21-10, Mills kept a play alive and threw a 7-yard TD pass to Amendola.
The duo then connected for a 2point conversion to get Houston within 21-18 with 11:40 left in the game.