In a playoff-clinching 24-10 win over the Titans in Tennessee on Sunday, Texans DE JJ Watt bolstered his candidacy with a sack, three TFLs, two pass defenses and two QB hits. In the process, Watt became the first player since Reggie White to record at least 15 sacks and 13 pass breakups in a season. Watt now has 15.5 sacks and 15 batted passes; he's the only player in NFL history to accomplish the feat.
"Growing up idolizing Reggie White as a Packers' fan, it's a great feeling," Watt said. "Any time you're the only person to ever do something it's crazy. I always said if you want to be the best you have to do things that have never been done before. All the credit has to go to my teammates and coaches; I wouldn't be anywhere without them."
As a team, the Texans (11-1, 4-0 AFC South) recorded six sacks, three forced fumbles and intercepted three passes. Both interceptions came on batted balls at the line.
Behind a makeshift line hit with a rash of injuries, Titans QB Jake Locker turned in a gritty performance. Locker led the Titans on a four-play, 90-yard drive late in the third quarter that culiminated in a 34-yard touchdown by Kenny Britt.
On the ensuing drive, Locker led the Titans 84 yards down the field in less than three minutes. The Titans (4-8, 0-4 AFC South) advanced to the Texans' 7-yard line but failed to score when Watt caused Locker to trip and fall to the ground on fourth-and-goal. The Texans were credited with a team sack.
When the game turned: Midway through the second quarter, Texans NT Shaun Cody did his best Watt impression when he reached high to deflect a Locker pass inside the Titans’ 10-yard line. Texans LB Tim Dobbins intercepted the pass to set up a 2-yard TD run by RB Arian Foster. The touchdown gave Houston a 21-3 with 7:48 left in the first half. The lead didn’t dip below double-digits for the remainder of the game.
Highlight moments: Texans WR Lestar Jean opened the scoring early in the first quarter on a 54-yard touchdown along the left sideline. Jean defeated zone coverage and hauled in a Matt Schaub pass beyond an outstretched Michael Griffin. Watt forced a Chris Johnson fumble in the second quarter that was recovered by Texans DT Antonio Smith. The eighth-year defensive lineman appeared headed for the end zone, but the play was whistled dead by an inadvertent whistle. Britt juked Kareem Jackson with a stutter-step and beat the Texans CB to the outside on the 34-yard touchdown in the right corner of the end zone late in the third quarter. Texans LB Darryl Sharpton clinched the win with a diving interception late in the fourth quarter.
Top-shelf performances:
- Dobbins: Three tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery.
- Locker: 21 of 45 for 309 yards, 1 TD
- Andre Johnson: Five catches for a team-high 56 yards.
What they said about the inadvertent whistle on Smith’s fumble recovery:
- Texans coach Gary Kubiak -- "I thought it was a touchdown for us and unfortunately they blew the whisle," Kubiak said. "There's nothing you can do about it."
- Smith -- “That would have been the play of my life, especially with how hard I tried to get into the end zone. I have swift running backs move, pulling out the 4.6 speed. ... It's frustrating, but it could have been worse because what they said was they blew the whistle thinking the play was dead. I guess (the official) was on the other side, so he didn't see the ball come out. They could have said that he was down; at least they gave us the ball."
- Watt -- "I didn't even know I knocked the ball out and then I saw him run towards the end zone," Watt said. "I would have loved to see the ninja (score). I'm sure he would have done something crazy -- jump in the stands or something."
Numbers you should know: With the victory, Houston has won 11 games in a season for the first time in franchise-history. The Texans set a franchise-record for takeaways in a game with six. The Titans allowed a season-high six sacks.
Injury update: Titans RT David Stewart suffered a fractured right leg early in the first quarter. Stewart is out for the season. Titans LT Michael Roos (leg) left the game briefly in the third quarter but returned on the next drive. Titans LG Steve Hutchinson suffered a right knee injury in the second quarter but returned in an emergency capacity. Texans LT Duane Brown suffered a knee injury early in the win but returned soon after. Texans CB Brice McCain left the game in the second quarter with a foot injury. Kubiak said McCain will be evaluated early this week. Texans TE Garrett Graham suffered a head injury in the third quarter and will undergo concussion testing throughout the week.
Going forward: The Texans travel to New England to face the Patriots in a key showdown on Monday Night Football. Houston closes with two games against the Colts in their final three games of the regular season. The Titans will face the Colts in Indianapolis next week before they host the Jets on Monday Night Football on Dec. 17.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Tennessee Titans, follow Matt Rybaltowski @CBSTitans.
Follow Texans reporter Sean Bielawski on Twitter @CBSTexans.