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.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For nearly three seasons, the Tennessee Titans have waited for Jared Cook to consistently perform up to his potential.

Now Cook has put together the best two games of his career, with 169 yards receiving in the last game to set a new team record for most yards receiving by a tight end.

He’s also just 73 yards shy of Frank Wycheck’s franchise record of 769 yards receiving by a tight end going into Sunday’s game at Houston (10-5).

“We know what a good player he is. I think since the first day (offensive co-ordinator) Chris Palmer came in here and in the first press conference, I think he is the first guy he talked about,” Titans coach Mike Munchak said of Cook. “I think there has been an emphasis to try to get him the ball.”

In last week’s 23-17 win over Jacksonville, Cook had eight catches for 169 yards including a 55-yard touchdown. That bumped aside Casper who had 150 yards receiving Nov. 30, 1980, against Cleveland for the then-Houston Oilers. That also marked Cook’s second straight 100-yard receiving game and put him over 1,000 yards receiving for his career.

Cook has 45 receptions for the season. His biggest challenge since being drafted out of South Carolina is being an up-and-down player. He has 17 catches the past two weeks, but none in either of the two previous games.

“There are going to be roller coasters in seasons, you just got to roll with it,” Cook said. “Sometimes the offence expects to do great things, but sometimes we don’t. You’ve just got to keep riding the roller coaster.”

The tight end is just happy that things are finally going well for him.

“It feels good,” he said. “Hopefully, this is kind of a preview of what’s to come for the offence. It feels good to be out there and offence is clicking and everybody is catching balls.”

As for why Cook has been so inconsistent, that appears to remain a bit of a mystery.

“Things are trending the way where it’s either feast of famine with him more so than anything,” Munchak said. “It just a multiple of factors … and it doesn’t mean that we are not trying to get him the ball. There could be things about what Cookie is doing and what he is not doing, the quarterback getting a read wrong, how they are covering, it’s all of those things going into the equation.”

Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck agreed, saying it was good to see Cook involved in the game from start to finish against the Jaguars.

“It was nice to see Jared Cook come out and play so well,” Hasselbeck said. “He’s always been kind of a big-play threat for us in a way, but he consistently played well for us in that game, catching the ball, pass blocking, all of it. That was great to see. He’s a matchup problem for a lot of people.”

The Titans (8-7) hope to keep up that trend Sunday at Houston. They must win to maintain their playoff hopes and need help from later games to earn a playoff berth.

They head into the game relatively healthy.

Defensive end Jason Jones remains in a walking boot with a high ankle sprain and is doubtful. But running back Chris Johnson (right ankle), receiver Lavelle Hawkins (ankle), tight end Daniel Graham (illness), defensive tackle Shaun Smith (knee) and linebacker Gerald McRath (knee/ankle) all practised fully Friday and are questionable.

He’s’ also just 73 yards shy of Frank Wycheck’s franchise record of 769 yards receiving by a tight end going into Sunday’s game at Houston (10-5).

“We know what a good player he is. I think since the first day (offensive coordinator) Chris Palmer came in here and in the first press conference, I think he is the first guy he talked about,” Titans coach Mike Munchak said of Cook. “I think there has been an emphasis to try to get him the ball.”

In last week’s 23-17 win over Jacksonville, Cook had eight catches for 169 yards including a 55-yard touchdown. That bumped aside Casper who had 150 yards receiving Nov. 30, 1980, against Cleveland for the then-Houston Oilers. That also marked Cook’s second straight 100-yard receiving game and put him over 1,000 yards receiving fo rhis career.

Cook has 45 receptions for the season. His biggest challenge since being drafted out of South Carolina is being an up-and-down player. He has 17 catches the past two weeks, but none in either of the two previous games.

“There are going to be roller coasters in seasons, you just got to roll with it,” Cook said. “Sometimes the offense expects to do great things, but sometimes we don’t. You’ve just got to keep riding the roller coaster.”

The tight end is just happy that things are finally going well for him.

“It feels good,” he said. “Hopefully, this is kind of a preview of what’s to come for the offense. It feels good to be out there and offense is clicking and everybody is catching balls.”

As for why Cook has been so inconsistent, that appears to remain a bit of a mystery.

“Things are trending the way where it’s either feast of famine with him more so than anything,” Munchak said. “It just a multiple of factors … and it doesn’t mean that we are not trying to get him the ball. There could be things about what Cookie is doing and what he is not doing, the quarterback getting a read wrong, how they are covering, it’s all of those things going into the equation.”

Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck agreed, saying it was good to see Cook involved in the game from start to finish against the Jaguars.

“It was nice to see Jared Cook come out and play so well,” Hasselbeck said. “He’s always been kind of a big-play threat for us in a way, but he consistently played well for us in that game, catching the ball, pass blocking, all of it. That was great to see. He’s a matchup problem for a lot of people.”

The Titans (8-7) hope to keep up that trend Sunday at Houston. They must win to maintain their playoff hopes and need help from later games to earn a playoff berth.

They head into the game relatively healthy.

Defensive end Jason Jones remains in a walking boot with a high ankle sprain and is doubtful. But running back Chris Johnson (right ankle), receiver Lavelle Hawkins (ankle), tight end Daniel Graham (illness), defensive tackle Shaun Smith (knee) and linebacker Gerald McRath (knee/ankle) all practiced fully Friday and are questionable.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—For nearly three seasons, the Tennessee Titans have
waited for Jared Cook to consistently perform up to his potential.

Now Cook has put together the best two games of his career, with 169 yards
receiving in the last game to set a new team record for most yards receiving by
a tight end.

He’s’ also just 73 yards shy of Frank Wycheck’s franchise record of 769
yards receiving by a tight end going into Sunday’s game at Houston (10-5).

“We know what a good player he is. I think since the first day (offensive
coordinator) Chris Palmer came in here and in the first press conference, I
think he is the first guy he talked about,” Titans coach Mike Munchak said of
Cook. “I think there has been an emphasis to try to get him the ball.”

In last week’s 23-17 win over Jacksonville, Cook had eight catches for 169
yards including a 55-yard touchdown. That bumped aside Casper who had 150 yards
receiving Nov. 30, 1980, against Cleveland for the then-Houston Oilers. That
also marked Cook’s second straight 100-yard receiving game and put him over
1,000 yards receiving fo rhis career.

Cook has 45 receptions for the season. His biggest challenge since being
drafted out of South Carolina is being an up-and-down player. He has 17 catches
the past two weeks, but none in either of the two previous games.

“There are going to be roller coasters in seasons, you just got to roll
with it,” Cook said. “Sometimes the offense expects to do great things, but
sometimes we don’t. You’ve just got to keep riding the roller coaster.”

The tight end is just happy that things are finally going well for him.

“It feels good,” he said. “Hopefully, this is kind of a preview of what’s
to come for the offense. It feels good to be out there and offense is clicking
and everybody is catching balls.”

As for why Cook has been so inconsistent, that appears to remain a bit of a
mystery.

“Things are trending the way where it’s either feast of famine with him
more so than anything,” Munchak said. “It just a multiple of factors … and
it doesn’t mean that we are not trying to get him the ball. There could be
things about what Cookie is doing and what he is not doing, the quarterback
getting a read wrong, how they are covering, it’s all of those things going into
the equation.”

Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck agreed, saying it was good to see Cook
involved in the game from start to finish against the Jaguars.

“It was nice to see Jared Cook come out and play so well,” Hasselbeck
said. “He’s always been kind of a big-play threat for us in a way, but he
consistently played well for us in that game, catching the ball, pass blocking,
all of it. That was great to see. He’s a matchup problem for a lot of people.”

The Titans (8-7) hope to keep up that trend Sunday at Houston. They must win
to maintain their playoff hopes and need help from later games to earn a playoff
berth.

They head into the game relatively healthy.

Defensive end Jason Jones remains in a walking boot with a high ankle sprain
and is doubtful. But running back Chris Johnson (right ankle), receiver Lavelle
Hawkins (ankle), tight end Daniel Graham (illness), defensive tackle Shaun Smith
(knee) and linebacker Gerald McRath (knee/ankle) all practiced fully Friday and
are questionable.

HOUSTON – The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans have different objectives in mind heading into Sunday’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 post-season 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 post-season 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 post-season 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 co-ordinator 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.