NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Don’t call the Houston Texans a finesse team. Not after standing toe to toe with the Tennessee Titans and pulling out a win.
Matt Schaub trumped Chris Johnson’s career day by throwing for four touchdowns to go with 357 yards. Kris Brown kicked a 23-yard field goal in the closing minutes, and the Texans ruined the Titans’ home opener, 34-31 on Sunday.
Johnson scored three touchdowns, ran for 197 yards and had 87 yards receiving.
The Texans spent the week answering questions about their toughness after being embarrassed by the New York Jets 24-7 in their home opener. Coach Gary Kubiak said the win didn’t answer any questions about Houston’s toughness, though what he liked best Sunday was how Houston battled back after trailing 21-7 early in the second quarter.
“It says a lot about what your guys stand for,” Kubiak said.
The Texans (1-1) won their first game in the month of September since Sept. 16, 2007, and just their second ever in Nashville.
“It started off ugly, but we talked last night as a team and we said all we have was each other,” Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson said. “No one was giving us a chance to win this game.”
The Titans threatened to blow Houston out of the stadium early, jumping ahead 21-7 after Chris Johnson scored 57 yards up the left sideline untouched on third-and-19. Next Collins tossed a short pass to Johnson, who lined up out left and was waving for the ball he was so open. No one came close as he went 69 yards, and he added a 91-yard TD run in the third.
But Houston bounced back with 17 consecutive points.
“We’ve got some work to do,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said.
