Titans 23, Texans 22
Matt Hasselbeck’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Nate Washington with 4 1/2 minutes remaining broke a tie and the Tennessee Titans stopped the Houston Texans on a two-point conversion with 14 seconds to go to preserve a 23-22 victory on Sunday.
The Titans (9-7), though, were eliminated from playoff contention when Denver lost to Kansas City 7-3 later Sunday.
The Texans (10-6), who are the AFC South champions and the No. 3 seed, limp into the playoffs on a three-game losing streak. They will host the No. 6 Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday in a wild card game.
Tennessee appeared ready to salt the game away but fullback Ahmard Hall fumbled at his own 36 with 1:49 remaining. Seven plays later, Jake Delhomme connected with Bryant Johnson for a 5-yard touchdown pass.
The Texans elected to go for two and after a false start moved the ball back to the 7, the ensuing snap to Delhomme sailed over his head and the Titans recovered.
Houston received a scare when rookie quarterback T.J. Yates left the game after appearing to land on his shoulder after a sack. Yates went to the locker room, but returned to the sideline. He did not come back into the game in what the Texans called a coach’s decision.
Delhomme took over to become the fourth quarterback used by the Texans this season after injuries to Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart.
Several starters were inactive for the Texans, including Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster.
Hasselbeck was 22 of 35 for 297 yards and became the 25th quarterback in NFL history to reach 33,000 yards.