By KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer
HOUSTON C.J. Stroud threw for 213 yards and a touchdown in his return from a concussion and the Houston Texans rolled to a 26-3 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday to boost their playoff chances.
Houston (9-7), Indianapolis and Jacksonville all won Sunday to leave the three teams with identical records in the AFC South and keep the Texans in contention for both the division title and a playoff spot.
A victory next week at Indianapolis will guarantee the Texans, who won just three games last season, their first postseason berth since 2019.
Stroud, the second overall pick in the draft, hadn’t played since hitting the back of his head hard on the turf in a loss to the Jets Dec. 10. He picked up right where he left off before the injury, moving the offense effectively and throwing his 21st touchdown pass of the season in the second quarter.
The Texans had a 17-point lead at halftime with some help from a touchdown on defense after Sheldon Rankins returned a fumble by rookie quarterback Will Levis for a score in the second quarter.
Levis injured his foot on the play and Ryan Tannehill took over. He threw for 168 yards but couldn’t get the Titans in the end zone as Tennessee (5-11) fell to Houston for the second time in three weeks.
The Texans pushed the lead to 23-3 on a field goal in the third quarter. The Titans had a chance to cut the lead after that, but they came up empty at the end of a 17-play drive when Tannehill’s pass on fourth-and-3 from the 3 was incomplete.
Houston made it 26-3 on a 51-yard field goal with about 5½ minutes to go.
The Titans had Houston stopped at its 11-yard line late in the first quarter, but Caleb Murphy was flagged for running into the kicker to give the Texans a first down.
Houston capped a 13-play, 89-yard drive with a 12-yard reception by Brevin Jordan to make it 10-0 with about 10 minutes left in the second.
On the next play, Levis lost the ball on a strip-sack by Jerry Hughes. Then Rankins, a 287-pound defensive tackle scooped it up and returned it 13 yards for a touchdown to extend the lead to 17-0.
Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 38-yard field goal made it 20-0 with about four minutes left in the first half.
Tennessee got its only points on a 53-yard field goal by Nick Folk as time expired in the second quarter.
Houston defensive end Will Anderson, the third overall pick in the draft, had sacks on consecutive plays near the end of the second quarter in his return after missing two games with an ankle injury.
Former Texans star DeAndre Hopkins had seven receptions for 72 yards for the Titans. Derrick Henry had 12 carries for 42 yards after being limited to 9 yards on 16 carries by the Texans two weeks ago.
INJURIES
Titans OL Daniel Brunskill injured his ankle in the first half. … WR Colton Dowell left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury. … Houston LT Laremy Tunsil injured his groin in the second quarter. … WR Noah Brown injured a hip in the second quarter. … WR Robert Woods left in the fourth quarter with a hip injury.
UP NEXT
Titans: Wrap up their season next Sunday with a visit from the Jaguars.
Texans: Visit Indianapolis next Sunday.
