Texans-Titans

Titans 13, Texans 10

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Houston Texans aren't sure how many more ways they can find to lose games at the end. The Tennessee Titans know enough not to be picky.

Kris Brown hooked a 31-yard field goal short and wide left on an untimed play with no time left even as Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher was trying to call a timeout, and the Titans held on for a 13-10 victory Sunday over the hapless Texans.

Brown also had a 37-yard field goal attempt blocked by Tank Williams with 3:48 left.

Rob Bironas kicked a 21-yard field goal with 10 seconds left that gave Tennessee (4-9) the sweep of its AFC South rival, the Titans' third sweep in the four seasons since the Texans replaced them in Houston.

Tennessee tried to keep the ball out of Jerome Mathis' hands by squibbing the kickoff, but Todd Washington pitched it to the rookie returner. Mathis took off, and only Reynaldo Hill grabbing him by the face mask on the right sideline kept him from scoring. The penalty put the ball at the Tennessee 13 - except the kicker jerked the ball left.

Fisher was grateful the officials didn't see him asking for the timeout.

``I don't know if I have another way to describe that other than that was ugly,'' Fisher said.

The Texans (1-12) lost their sixth straight in yet another game they had plenty of chances to win, especially at the end. After blowing a 24-3 lead against St. Louis and a late lead last week against Baltimore, Houston had not one, but two chances in this game - the blocked kick and then the final one.

``In 20 years, I have never been through three weeks like we have been through here,'' Houston coach Dom Capers said.

Steve McNair set up Bironas' first career game-winning field goal by driving the Titans 70 yards in 10 plays with his second-longest run this season, an 18-yarder on third-and-4.

Brown said he had hoped Mathis would give him another chance after being low on his blocked kick, and he had been warming up on the sideline

``I didn't pull my end of the bargain today,'' Brown said.

Rookie Adam ``Pacman'' Jones also scored the first touchdown of his NFL career on a 52-yard punt return after rejoining the Titans late Saturday night following a funeral for a close friend and the death of an aunt.

The Titans also sacked David Carr six times, including two by Kyle Vanden Bosch for a career-high 12 1/2 sacks this season. They held the Texans to 234 yards offense, and Vanden Bosch called the ending crazy.

``I thought we won, then I thought they brought it back. Then I thought the game was over, then I thought we were going to overtime. Then we ended up winning. It was crazy,'' Vanden Bosch said.

The emotions were very different for the Texans.

``Why can't we just find a way to make one more play?'' Carr asked. ``It's offense, defense, special teams, myself included. We all have to find a way to make one more play, and we won't be in that situation.''

The Titans had to overcome their own ineptness in a sloppy game that featured a 21-yard punt by the Texans and a kickoff that would have gone out of bounds if not touched by Jarrett Payton at the Tennessee 15.

Tennessee turned the ball over on downs three times, missed a field goal wide right in the first quarter and had passes dropped in the end zone on two possessions.

The Titans were lucky all tickets for this game were sold in July because the stadium was half full on a cold, windy day.

Domanick Davis ran for 139 yards and caught seven passes for 50 more, and he gave the Texans a 10-3 lead with a 3-yard reception just before halftime.

Capers certainly tried to give his Texans every chance to win. He had Brown fake a field goal attempt in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-5, and the kicker ran for the first down only to see his field goal attempt blocked four plays later.

The Texans had been protecting Carr a little better since matching their season-high by allowing seven sacks to Tennessee on Oct. 9. Not this Sunday as the Titans sacked Carr once on each of the Texans' first three possessions.

The Titans couldn't take advantage with two receivers and a tight end missing the game with injuries, bogging down every time they got near the end zone. They finally scored on a Bironas field goal with 4:28 left in the second.

Notes: McNair finally passed John Elway for fourth among NFL quarterbacks in yards rushing with his 18-yard run. ... Jones' return for a TD was the Titans' first since Justin McCareins returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown at Atlanta on Nov. 23, 2003. ... Titans running back Travis Henry had a 42-yard reception in the second quarter that was his career-long. ... Brown, who was a perfect 5-of-5 for field goals last week, was 1-of-3 against the Titans.

Houston Texans - Tennessee Titans

Goals Total 1 2 3 OT Shootout
Houston Texans 10
Tennessee Titans 13

Texans-Ravens

Ravens 16, Texans 15

BALTIMORE (AP) - Kyle Boller walked onto the field with 64 seconds left, no timeouts and his Baltimore Ravens down by two points.

Starting at his own 13 yard-line, the oft-criticized quarterback faced the prospect of moving the ball behind a makeshift offensive line.

Fortunately, he was operating against the Houston Texans.

Boller came through, and Matt Stover kicked a 38-yard field goal with 6 seconds remaining to give Baltimore a 16-15 victory Sunday.

A game filled with blunders, fumbles and penalties ended in familiar fashion for the Texans, who let a seemingly certain win get away for the second straight week.

``We've got to be able to make plays at the end of the game and bring it home,'' Houston linebacker Shantee Orr said. ``That's what we haven't been able to do the last two weeks.''

A week ago, the Texans (1-11) blew a 10-point lead in the closing minutes against St. Louis and lost in overtime. This time, Houston allowed Boller to move the Ravens 67 yards in eight plays before Stover delivered.

``It excites me as a veteran here to see that we didn't give up and we did enough to win the game,'' said the 37-year-old Stover, who has kicked 11 game-winners over a 15-year career.

Kris Brown's fifth field goal with 1:08 left put Houston in position for its second win of the season. But the Texans couldn't hold on.

Boller completed a 24-yard pass to Todd Heap on third down, then hit rookie Mark Clayton with an 11-yarder. Two plays later, a 35-yard completion to Clayton got the Ravens (4-8) into field-goal position.

``You've got to make something happen,'' Boller said. ``All you can hope for is to execute the way we did. Guys just made plays, and that's what it's all about.''

Boller went 17-for-33 for 198 yards and ran for a second-quarter score.

After Baltimore's Adalius Thomas returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown with 7:16 to go, the Texans trailed 13-9. But Houston got a field goal with 3:31 remaining, then took advantage of poor clock management to get the ball back.

A fair catch by B.J. Sams on the kickoff and two subsequent timeouts preceded a Ravens punt. Domanick Davis returned the kick 21 yards to the Baltimore 29, and Brown followed with a 39-yard field goal.

It wasn't enough.

``I'm on the sidelines at that point, watching it,'' Houston quarterback David Carr said. ``To have that happen two weeks in a row, especially in the situation we're already in, it makes it harder.''

Houston fumbled five times, was intercepted once and received 11 penalties for 93 yards. Yet the Texans stayed close because the Ravens fumbled four times, were penalized eight times and could muster only 73 yards rushing.

Baltimore sacked Carr five times, including a career-high three by Terrell Suggs.

Davis ran for 155 yards on 29 carries, but the Texans failed to score a touchdown for the first time in 31 games dating back to December 2003.

``We've still got to find a way to hit some big plays. We were able to hit a couple, but not enough,'' Carr said.

In the third quarter, Sams had an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown nullified after the Ravens were called for two penalties on the play.

That set off a series of miscues by both teams. After Boller recovered his own fumble at the Baltimore 1, Houston's Jerome Mathis fumbled away a punt at the Baltimore 36. Chester Taylor gave it back, losing the ball on the 29.

Andre Johnson then dropped a likely touchdown pass, and the Texans settled for a 22-yard field goal by Brown for a 9-7 lead with 14:30 left.

``I kind of misjudged it and it hit me on the shoulder pad,'' Johnson said. ``I feel real bad about that happening.''

The Ravens played a sixth straight game without linebacker Ray Lewis, and cornerback Chris McAlister was held out with a strained hamstring.

Boller played behind an offensive line that was without injured starters Keydrick Vincent (hamstring), Orlando Brown (back) and Pro Bowl left tackle Jonathan Ogden, who strained a hamstring in the first quarter and did not return.

Baltimore did, however, regain the services of safety Ed Reed, who was back in the starting lineup after missing six weeks with a sprained ankle.

A fumble by Jamal Lewis ended Baltimore's first series on its 36, but the Texans lost 15 yards in three plays and had to punt.

That rest of the game sputtered along in similar fashion.

Notes: Clayton had a season-high seven catches. ... The Texans scored their first first-quarter points on the road. ... It was the third game in which Baltimore did not allow a TD.

Houston Texans - Baltimore Ravens

Goals	Total	1	2	3	OT	Shootout
Houston Texans	15
Baltimore Ravens	16