Titans Texas football

By Jim Wyatt, The Tennessean 

It was another happy homecoming for Vince Young, and another reason for the suddenly resurgent Titans to celebrate.

After an 0-6 start, they won their fourth straight game on Monday night by edging the Texans, 20-17. They found yet another way to win, as Young once again worked some late-game magic in his hometown.

Rob Bironas kicked a 53-yard field goal with 47 seconds left, capping a nine-play, 59-yard drive orchestrated by Young, but the Titans had to hang on. Texans kicker Kris Brown misfired on a 49-yarder with 1 second left.

"I wouldn't say magic,'' Young said. "I'd just say it was everybody playing football, taking care of their assignments and executing. ... I just want to be a quarterback and I just want to lead my teammates and continue to earn the respect of my teammates as well as my coaches.

"The offense did a good job, the defense got the last stop and Bironas got the big kick. When we come together as a team we can always win ball games.''

Young is now 4-0 against the Texans. He finished this game 12-of-22 passing for 116 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 73 yards on 10 carries, with many of the runs keeping drives alive.

In his only other NFL game here, as a rookie in 2006, Young scored on a 39-yard run in overtime to beat the Texans.

"The funny thing is, no one came in here and said, 'Let's win for Vince,' '' receiver Nate Washington said. "It was a game we knew we had to win, period. We came out and had a game plan and we followed it. We missed a couple of plays and did a few things wrong, but we found a way to win.''

Chris Johnson became just the third running back in franchise history to run for more than 100 yards in five straight games, joining Earl Campbell and Eddie George. Johnson finished with 151 yards on 29 carries. The Titans ran for 228 yards overall.

The Titans took a 17-14 lead with 2:49 remaining in the third quarter with a 50-yard field goal by Bironas, but the Texans tied the score at 17 when Brown hit a 26-yard field goal on the final play of the quarter.

The Titans had a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but a 49-yard kick by Bironas sailed wide to the left.

When he got another chance, with the game on the line, he delivered. Fitting, since this was the site of his most memorable pro game - Bironas kicked an NFL record eight field goals against the Texans in 2007.

"I don't think there's many games where I'm going to miss two,'' Bironas said. "To get a second chance, it was great. It's good to win. We're a good team and we're starting to put things together.''

The Titans kept fighting back early, answering Houston scores with touchdowns of their own.

While the Titans gave up some plays on defense, they got some stops late, making good on linebacker Keith Bulluck's midweek promise to spoil Houston's party.

The Texans are now 5-5, just a game ahead of the Titans in the AFC South.

"In weeks 1-6, we don't come away with this win. You know that," Bulluck said. "But now we are finding ways to win and that is what we did all last year. And it is great to see.''