HOUSTON — Never mind that they’ve already clinched the AFC South and a first-round playoff bye, the Tennessee Titans (12-2) are miffed about their 13-12 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday.
A letdown could be expected after securing their playoff spot last week, but a win against Houston and a Pittsburgh loss later Sunday would have secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Now, next week’s game against the Steelers will have much more meaning.
“Hopefully we’ll be up for the challenge and guys will come back from vacation,” linebacker Keith Bulluck said. “. . . Pittsburgh is playing for way more than us next week.”
Andre Johnson had a career-high 207 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Kris Brown added a pair of field goals to lead the Texans.
Johnson had eight catches for 154 yards before halftime. It was the most first-half yards receiving in the NFL this season.
Already eliminated from playoff contention, the Texans (7-7) are shooting for the first winning season in franchise history. Sunday marked the first time they’ve won four games in a row, and the victory snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Titans.
