HOUSTON (AP) — The Tennessee Titans‘ regular-season finale came down to a 2-point conversion. Their playoff hopes officially ended a few hours later.

Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes, and Tennessee staved off Houston‘s last-minute rally in a 23-22 victory Sunday.

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

When the Broncos lost to Kansas City, the Titans were knocked out of playoff contention.

“I was proud of the guys for bouncing back the last two weeks and putting ourselves in the position to reach the playoffs,” Munchak said in a statement, “but we also put ourselves in the position of needing help and it didn’t work out for us today.”

The Titans got some early help when the New York Jets lost in Miami, but then had to sweat out the final two minutes when Ahmard Hall fumbled, and Jake Delhomme drove Houston for a touchdown with 14 seconds left.

“We knew that was the situation we were in and we could only do what we could do,” Hasselbeck said. “We were focused on taking care of business and handling the things that we could control. Finishing 9-7 is something we can be proud about whether we get the help or we don’t.”

The Texans (10-6) were locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs before the game began. They will play Cincinnati (9-7) next Saturday in the franchise’s first postseason game. Houston beat the Bengals 20-19 on Dec. 11.

With their position secured and nothing to lose but more players to injury, coach Gary Kubiak called for a 2-point conversion to avoid overtime and win the game in regulation.

“You would never go for 2 there in any other situation,” Kubiak said. “But where we were physically, at the end of the game, I had a tight end (Garrett Graham) playing linebacker. Our team, I had to get them to next week.”

But tight end Joel Dreessen was flagged for illegal motion, and then backup center Thomas Austin flipped the snap over Delhomme’s head and the game was over.

The victory turned out to mean nothing for the Titans.

Tennessee needed the Bengals to lose to Baltimore and victories by Oakland and Denver to earn a playoff berth. And that would’ve landed the Titans right back in Houston next week to play the Texans.

But a 27-13 loss in Indianapolis two weeks ago proved costly, and the Titans will sit out the playoffs for the third straight season.

“We knew that after we lost to the Colts, which was kind of a low point for us, at that point we were 7-7,” Hasselbeck said. “Coach Munchak came and said: ‘Hey, there’s a lot of things this season that could have gone better, that we could have done better, but we didn’t. That’s in the past and there’s nothing we can do about that.”

The Texans, meanwhile, will head into the franchise’s first postseason on a three-game losing streak and new concerns about their quarterback.

Rookie starter T.J. Yates left the game after one series and was replaced by the 36-year-old 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.”

Delhomme, signed Nov. 29 in the wake of season-ending injuries to starter Matt Schaub and backup Matt Leinart, completed 18 of 28 passes in his first action since December 2010.

Johnson ran for 61 yards to go over 1,000 for the fourth consecutive season, and Rob Bironas kicked three field goals for Tennessee.

“It was an interesting ending,” Munchak said. “Our goal was to come in here and win this game. We did that. We’re 9-7 and that’s all we can control.”

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 Ben Tate and Derrick Ward started alternating touches for the rest of the drive.

Tate plowed into the end zone with 5:15 left in the first quarter, but Yates came off the field favoring his left shoulder and went to the locker room.

Yates jogged back to the Houston sideline for the start of the second quarter. But after Bironas kicked a 21-yard field goal, Delhomme returned for the Texans’ next possession.

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.

Hasselbeck completed 22 of 35 passes for 297 yards without an interception.

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.

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. … 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.

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.

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.

In week 16, I posted a 1-1 mark with my predictions for the AFC South division. The Tennessee Titans made me look good in beating the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the Houston Texans were surprisingly beaten by the Indianapolis Colts. Despite just a 2-3 record over the past two weeks, my overall record still stands at a respectable 34-14. Here is a look at how I think the teams in the division will fare against one another in the last week of the 2011 NFL season.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts:

As mentioned earlier, the Indianapolis Colts earned their second straight win, knocking off the Houston Texans 19-16. Dan Orlovsky played efficient, completing 23-of-41 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown, while the ground game totaled just 95 yards on 32 rushing attempts. Reggie Wayne also had a solid game for the Colts, hauling in eight catches for 106 yards, including the game-winning touchdown.

On the other side, we have a Jaguars’ team, who played the Titans close last week, but still came up a bit short. With rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert struggling, Maurice Jones-Drew has been forced to shoulder the offensive load for a majority of the season. Last week, Drew rushed for 103 yards on 24 attempts and caught six passes for 21 yards, while Gabbert threw for 198 yards, completing just 50 percent of his 42 passing attempts.

This game is difficult to predict because the Colts have been terrible against the run this season, which should favor the Jaguars. However, in week 15, they limited Chris Johnson to under 60 yards en route to their first victory on the season. In week 16, they gave up 158 yards to Arian Foster and the result was still a victory. I haven’t picked the Colts often this year, but I will give them the edge this week, especially if they do a good job of containing Jones-Drew.

Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans:

Two weeks ago, the Texans were 10-3 and were a strong contender for the top seed in the AFC. However, following two straight losses to the Carolina Panthers and the Colts, they have to settle for the third seed. With that being said, the Texans will probably be more concerned with resting their starters for the postseason instead of winning this game. The Titans on the other hand, will have a sense of urgency in this match-up because they still have a slim chance of making the playoffs. With that being said, I think the Titans will emerge victorious in this one.

James Tillman is a resident of the Chicago-land area who has been an NFL fan for over 20 years. James is also a fan blogger on Yahoo Sports and NJFFL Dynasty. For interesting topics on the NFL, NBA and MLB, follow him on Twitter @jtillman9693.

Sources:

Week 17 NFL Picks and Predictions

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

Yard markers

The longest plays allowed by the Titans defense this season:

Yards Play
80 Colts Donald Brown TD run
78 Texans Arian Foster TD pass from Matt Schaub
76 Steelers Jonathan Dwyer run
43 Falcons Roddy White pass from Matt Ryan
40 Steelers Mike Wallace TD pass from Ben Roethlisberger
35 Steelers Mike Wallace TD pass from Ben Roethlisberger
35 Falcons Michael Turner run
35 Bucs LeGarrette Blount pass from Josh Freeman

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In week 6, I ran the table with a perfect 3-0 mark with my picks for the AFC South division and I was in position to accomplish the feat again in week 7. As predicted, the New Orleans Saints beat up on the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans defeated the Tennessee Titans. With the Jacksonville Jaguars playing against the Baltimore Ravens, I figured another perfect week was in the bag. However, the Jaguars played very well defensively and beat the Ravens 12-7. Despite being in a state of disbelief, I have to put it behind me and look ahead to week 8, where all four teams in the division will face each other.

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans:

Both teams are coming off disappointing losses from last week. With first place on the line in the division, the Titans were defeated at home by the Texans 41-7 while the Colts were completely dominated by the Saints, to the tune of 62-7. Everyone figured the Colts would be a different team without Peyton Manning(notes) under center, but to lose a game by 55 points is just unacceptable.

The Colts have yet to win a game this season and they will face a Titans’ team that will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss at home. Simply put, the Titans should win big in this one and maybe Chris Johnson will finally have that big game that everyone has been waiting for. Maybe.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans:

The Jaguars made me look bad last week to say the least. I gave them absolutely no shot against the Ravens but they proved me wrong. I guess anything is possible when you hold a team to -1 passing yards in the first half. Despite a decent showing against Baltimore, I think the Texans are more than capable of moving the ball efficiently against a Jaguars’ defense that has been average at best this year.

Arian Foster(notes) caught and ran for over 100 yards against the Titans last week and I think it’s safe to say, he will have another good game against Jacksonville. Look for the Texans to win their second straight game against a divisional opponent.

James Tillman is a resident of the Chicago-land area who has been watching NFL games for over 20 seasons. For interesting discussions about the NFL, NBA and MLB, follow on him on Twitter @jtillman9693.

Sources:

Week 8 Picks and Predictions

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

The Titans failed to sack Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (8) in Sunday’s loss at LP Field. / AP

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The Titans failed to sack Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (8) in Sunday’s loss at LP Field. / AP

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NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans were hoping to make a statement Sunday when the Houston Texans visited LP Field.

With first place in the AFC South on the line, the Titans had a chance to take control of the division and set the tone in the first of a three-game homestand that could solidify Tennessee’s playoff resume.

Those hopes were dashed with a 41-7 thrashing by the Texans that pushed Houston back to the top of the division and had Tennessee’s defensive unit searching for answers in the worst home loss in LP Field history.

After holding opponents to 46 total points over the first four games, Tennessee (3-3) has surrendered 79 points in the last two games.

“We got embarrassed in our own backyard,” Titans safety Michael Griffin said. “If we walk around Nashville, we can’t hold our heads up high right now with that performance. You can’t hold your head up. You can’t walk out with a smile on your face. It’s impossible. I’d be shocked to see anybody smiling or laughing about anything right now.”

Fresh off a bye week following a 38-7 loss at Pittsburgh, the Tennessee defense got off to a good start, forcing Houston to punt on its first two possessions.

Things started to come apart on the third drive when former University of Tennessee running back Arian Foster helped fuel a 13-play, 73-yard drive that ended with a field goal by Neil Rackers.

Houston scored on five of its next six drives, doing whatever it wanted offensively. Quarterback Matt Schaub threw two second-quarter touchdown passes, one a 78-yard catch and run to Foster off play action, and Rackers added a second field goal on the final play of the half that made the score 20-0.

“It seems like no matter what we did, we couldn’t get things rolling,” Tennessee defensive end Dave Ball said. “We couldn’t get a stitch of momentum out there. Whenever you get hounded on, it’s not a good feeling. The frustration just built throughout the game.”

With a comfortable lead, the Texans leaned on its running back tandem of Foster and Ben Tate in the second half. The Titans had no answer. Foster had 115 yards on 25 carries and two second-half touchdown runs, while Tate had 104 yards rushing on 15 carries.

Houston finished with 518 total yards of offense, getting 296 yards passing from Schaub.

“We’re a terrible defense right now,” Griffin said. “The stats show it. Teams are doing as they please against our team. That is embarrassing. What we’ve put on film is who we are, but deep down within ourselves, we know that is not us because we have played better football. We need to change that.”

Tennessee cornerback Cortland Finnegan said everyone was upset following the loss, knowing they missed a chance to take control of the AFC South.

“We knew what was stake and we didn’t come with our ‘A’ game,” Finnegan said. “They did and we didn’t. We let our fans down. We let the Titan nation down. We let our family and friends down.”

Ball said there is too much football for the Titans to look ahead to their rematch in Houston the final week of the season and speculate on playoff implications.

Griffin said the focus should be on getting better as a defensive unit and preparing for the next opponent, the winless Indianapolis Colts.

“We need to get this taste out of our mouths,” Griffin said. “No team is going to look at us as a team that won three games straight. We’re a team right now, that is 0-2 against good teams. If we want to win, we have to turn this thing around. We need to stop the run, stop the pass and we can’t give up 500 yards total offense.”

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To Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum, add the
Tennessee Titans as practitioners of sweet music in
Nashville.

 An AFC South devoid of Peyton Manning already has developed into a
two-team race between the Titans (3-2) and reeling Houston Texans
(3-3). The Titans begin a three-game homestand with a superb chance
to lay claim to the division in what was supposed to be a
transitional season under new coach Mike Munchak.

 ‘‘It’s always a big game when we play (Tennessee), a very physical
game, a divisional game, which makes it even more important,’’
Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. ‘‘It’s something we are looking
forward to coming off of two tough losses, trying to regroup over
here.’’

 Tennessee fullback Ahmard Hall, who is from Houston — the former
home of the Titans — believes that fact adds spice to the series,
which Tennessee leads 13-5.

 ‘‘Good teams in this league win at home. Great teams in this
league are undefeated at home. We can put our foot down on some
guys, take control of the division and get into the playoffs and
try to make a run,’’ Hall said.

 A year ago, with a much different roster that was headed for a
6-10 record that cost Jeff Fisher his job as coach, the Titans won
31-17 in Music City in Game 14. That loss helped keep the Texans
from their first playoff berth.

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

Published Sunday, October 23, 2011 12:18 AM

By TERESA M. WALKER
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Texans and Tennessee Titans now have a new reason not to like each other.

The Titans, who left Houston in 1997, and the franchise that replaced the former Oilers have had an intense rivalry from the time the Texans started playing in the new AFC South back in 2002 with bragging rights on the line. With Peyton Manning still recovering from surgery, the Titans and Texans meet Sunday for the first time with the AFC South lead at stake.

“It always has a little something special, especially when it’s Houston,” Titans coach Mike Munchak said. “The fact that we are both sitting here with a chance to stay in first place makes it a lot more fun.”

The Titans (3-2) grabbed a half-game edge in the division resting through their bye week when Houston (3-3) lost its second straight game last week 29-14 to Baltimore. Texans linebacker Connor Barwin said there’s no hiding any secrets of what this game means.

“This is for the division right now. It’s a huge game, and we need to win a game, too,” Barwin said. “We can’t lose any more games, so no, I don’t think it’s a secret to anybody. I don’t think anybody around here thinks it’s not that important. I think we all understand what’s at stake.”

Tennessee at least has some experience as the only AFC South team other than Indianapolis to win this division with titles in 2002 and 2008.

The Texans still must prove they can reach the playoffs for the first time in their short history, and they’re busy regrouping from two consecutive losses combined while dealing with injuries. Andre Johnson likely will miss his third straight game with a hamstring injury, while Matt Schaub’s chest and right hip are sore. Fullback James Casey also could be out with his chest injury.

Schaub said the Texans remain confident they’ll get over the hump.

“If you aren’t confident in what you are doing, then you are not going to do it anyway,” Schaub said. “If you believe in yourself and your team that you are going to get it done, then you will. You just have to keep working at it, and good things will happen to you.”

Even without Johnson, the Texans still have Arian Foster, the NFL’s top rusher last season. Texans coach Gary Kubiak thinks Foster is coming around after a hamstring injury limited him early. Foster is a big reason Houston is averaging 126.2 yards rushing per game.

The Titans spent their bye week after a 38-17 loss at Pittsburgh studying their own run game. Chris Johnson has 250 yards rushing this season, and Tennessee is averaging 66.6 yards rushing, which is last in the NFL. Left tackle Michael Roos said they looked at every run play, which helped the Titans realize everyone has a share of the blame.

“It was on us as an offensive line at times different guys not doing their job and as a whole it is a whole offensive team thing,” Roos said. “Whether a tight end missed a block or Chris a bad read, but there were a lot of bad blocks by us. We weren’t playing up to par. We worked hard … to fix that.”

The Texans have seen enough of Johnson not to overlook him. Johnson ran for 130 yards in Nashville last December as the teams split the season series for a third straight year. Barwin said the Titans paid Johnson his $53 million extension for a reason.

“I’ve played him when he’s had nobody blocking for him, and he’s gone 80 yards,” Barwin said. “I remember my rookie year, he went 99 yards on a draw play, so the guy can make anybody look stupid and can take it all the way in a second, so I’m not really looking at three yards a carry right now.”

Houston will be playing its second game without linebacker Mario Williams, but the Texans are third in the NFL with 17 sacks. Tennessee has protected Matt Hasselbeck pretty well this season, and the veteran is ranked second in the AFC to Tom Brady with a 95.9 passer rating. Hasselbeck has been sacked seven times, and Munchak doesn’t want him taking a beating.

“When your quarterback is getting wacked and eventually it takes a toll on his throws and his confidence. They are doing a nice job up front …,” Munchak said.

The Titans also believe they learned a big lesson a year ago when they came off their bye and lost five straight games in finishing 6-10. Cornerback Cortland Finnegan said this is a different team with different circumstances starting a three-game homestand.

“We know we’re sort of in the driver’s seat if we can win at home against a really good football team,” Finnegan said.

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Follow Teresa M. Walker on Twitter at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker

NASHVILLE — The Texans and Tennessee Titans have a new reason not to like each other.

The Titans, who left Houston in 1997, and the franchise that replaced the former Oilers have had an intense rivalry from the time the Texans started playing in the new AFC South in 2002. With Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning still recovering from surgery and the Colts winless, the Titans and Texans meet today for the first time with the AFC South lead at stake.

“It always has a little something special, especially when it’s Houston,” Titans coach Mike Munchak said. “The fact that we are both sitting here with a chance to stay in first place makes it a lot more fun.”

The Titans (3-2) grabbed a half-game edge in the division in their bye week when Houston (3-3) lost its second straight game last week, 29-14, to Baltimore. Texans linebacker Connor Barwin said there’s no hiding what this game means.

“This is for the division right now. It’s a huge game, and we need to win a game, too,” Barwin said. “We can’t lose any more games, so no, I don’t think it’s a secret to anybody. I don’t think anybody around here thinks it’s not that important. I think we all understand what’s at stake.”

Tennessee at least has some experience — the Titans are the only AFC South team other than Indianapolis to win this division, with titles in 2002 and 2008.

The Texans still must prove they can reach the playoffs for the first time, and they’re busy regrouping from two consecutive losses combined while dealing with injuries. Andre Johnson likely will miss his third straight game with a hamstring injury, and Matt Schaub’s chest and right hip are sore. Fullback James Casey also could be out with his chest injury.

Schaub said the Texans remain confident.

“If you aren’t confident in what you are doing, then you are not going to do it anyway,” Schaub said. “If you believe in yourself and your team that you are going to get it done, then you will. You just have to keep working at it, and good things will happen to you.”

Even without Johnson, the Texans still have former Tennessee Vol Arian Foster, the NFL’s top rusher last season. Texans coach Gary Kubiak thinks Foster is coming around after a hamstring injury limited him early. Foster is a big reason Houston is averaging 126.2 yards rushing per game.

The Titans spent their bye week after a 38-17 loss at Pittsburgh studying their own run game. Chris Johnson has 250 yards rushing this season, and Tennessee is averaging 66.6 yards rushing, last in the NFL. Left tackle Michael Roos said they looked at every run play, which helped the Titans realize everyone has a share of the blame.

“It was on us as an offensive line at times different guys not doing their job and as a whole it is a whole offensive team thing,” Roos said. “Whether a tight end missed a block or Chris a bad read, but there were a lot of bad blocks by us. We weren’t playing up to par.”

The Texans have seen enough of Johnson not to overlook him. Johnson ran for 130 yards in Nashville last December as the teams split the season series for a third straight year. Barwin said the Titans paid Johnson his $53 million extension for a reason.

“I’ve played him when he’s had nobody blocking for him, and he’s gone 80 yards,” Barwin said. “I remember my rookie year, he went 99 yards on a draw play, so the guy can make anybody look stupid and can take it all the way in a second, so I’m not really looking at three yards a carry right now.”