HOUSTON (AP) — Rob Bironas kicked a 53-yard field goal with less than a minute remaining and the Tennessee Titans beat the Houston Texans 20-17 for their fourth straight victory after an 0-6 start.
The Texans (5-5) had a chance to tie it, but Kris Brown’s 49-yard attempt with 1 second remaining was wide left. It was his second miss of the game and the second straight game he’s missed a chance to send the Texans to overtime.
The Titans (4-6) haven’t lost since Vince Young took over at quarterback. He is 2-0 as a starter in his hometown of Houston after running for the winning touchdown in overtime in his last start, as a rookie in 2006.
The Titans started the go-ahead drive at the 6-yard line, but the Texans were called for a 15-yard horse collar penalty on a tackle on Chris Johnson. A 22-yard run by Johnson two plays later put the Titans on their 41 just before the two-minute warning.
Young had a 12 yard run for a first down later in that drive but the Titans couldn’t keep it going and went to Bironas for the field goal, his second field goal of at least 50 yards.
The Texans moved the ball 31 yards in five plays before Brown came in for the field-goal attempt. He missed from the same distance in the third quarter and missed one from 42 yards as time expired in a 20-17 loss to Indianapolis before Houston’s bye.
Bironas had missed earlier, too, on a 49-yarder with about 10 minutes left.
Johnson finished with 151 yards rushing and Young had a touchdown pass in the first half. Bironas added a 50-yard field goal in the third quarter.
The Titans ran for a first down on a fake punt with about 5½ minutes left, but were called for delay of game and had to punt it away. The punt came after two consecutive incomplete passes by Young.
The Texans couldn’t get anything going on the next drive and had to give it back when a wide open Steve Slaton dropped a pass that would have been enough for the first down.
Antonio Smith got a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness after taking an extra shot at a Titan after a play giving Tennessee a first down at the Houston 45. Tennessee came away empty after Young’s pass on third down fell incomplete and then Bironas missed a field-goal try.
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