Texans want to snap skid before the playoffs with Titans headed for likely top 10 draft pick

Houston (9-7) at Tennessee (3-13)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS

BetMGM NFL Odds: Titans by 1.

Against the spread: Texans 6-8-2; Titans 2-14.

Series record: Tennessee leads 24-21.

Last meeting: Titans beat the Texans 32-27 on Nov. 24.

Last week: Texans lost to the Ravens 31-2; Titans lost to the Jaguars 20-13.

Texans offense: overall (21), rush (21), pass (19), scoring (18)

Texans defense: overall (7), rush (12), pass (6), scoring (16)

Titans offense: overall (28), rush (15), pass (28), scoring (T-25)

Titans defense: overall (2), rush (22), pass (6), scoring (30)

Turnover differential: Texans plus-10; Titans minus-16

QB C.J. Stroud needs 323 yards passing to join Justin Herbert and Jameis Winston as the only players in NFL history to have at least 4,000 yards passing in each of their first two seasons. He has thrown for at least 240 yards in three straight road games. Stroud had 247 yards passing and two touchdowns in his previous meeting against Tennessee and hasn’t thrown an interception in nine of his 10 career starts against division opponents.

QB Will Levis. Benched after his fourth turnover of the game against Cincinnati on Dec. 15, the second-year quarterback stayed there for the next two games. Now he will get a final chance to start for the 12th time this season to show how much he’s learned before the offseason. Levis had no interceptions in the two games he started before his four-turnover game against Cincinnati that got him benched.

The Titans against their draft status. Losing clinches the No. 2 pick overall in the April draft to match the slot where they took QB Marcus Mariota in 2015. Lose and get help with New England beating Buffalo's backups? Tennessee then has the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 2016. A new GM traded that pick two weeks before the draft for a haul that netted a trio of All-Pros led by Derrick Henry.

Texans: DE Denico Autry (knee), DT Folorunso Fatukasi (ankle). C Shaq Mason (knee) and CB Jeff Okudah (concussion) are all out.

Titans: RB Tony Pollard (ankle) missed last week's game with an illness and is questionable. RB Tyjae Spears (concussion), K Nick Folk (abdomen), S Amani Hooker (shoulder), OLB Arden Key (hand), LB Otis Reese (ankle), and OT Jaelyn Duncan (shoulder) are out. RG Dillon Radunz (shoulder) will be back after missing two games.

The Texans have won three of the past four. But the Titans have won six of the past 10. Houston managed to sweep the 2023 season series between the division rivals, and eight of the past nine have been decided by nine or fewer points.

The Texans have clinched the AFC South for a second straight season. ... RB Joe Mixon has 883 yards of offense and 10 touchdowns in seven road games this season. He needs 7 yards rushing for his fifth career 1,000-yard rushing season. … WR Nico Collins had 92 yards receiving and a TD in the previous game against Tennessee. He needs 32 yards receiving to reach 1,000 yards for a second straight season. … WR John Metchie had five receptions for 48 yards last week. … TE Dalton Schultz has had a TD reception in two straight road games. … LB Azeez Al-Shaair returns after a three-game suspension for his violent hit to Trevor Lawrence's head that gave the Jacksonville quarterback a concussion. … DE Danielle Hunter had a career-high five tackles for loss and three sacks in the previous game against the Titans. He ranks third in the NFL with 12 sacks for his fifth career season with at least 12 sacks. … DE Will Anderson had two tackles for loss last week. He is tied for eighth in the NFL with 11 sacks this season. … CB Derek Stingley has an interception in two of his past three road games. He ranks second in the NFL with a career-high 18 passes defended this season. … Rookie CB Kamari Lassiter tackled Derrick Henry in the end zone for a safety for Houston's only points last week. ... This game wraps up the Titans' 65th season in franchise history and their 26th at Nissan Stadium. This also will be the franchise's 1,000th game in the regular season. ... The Titans have a chance to finish in the top five in the league in passing defense for the first time since 2000 when they led the NFL. They also rank third in total defense. The Titans last finished in the top five in total defense for a season in 2007 when they ranked fifth. ... S Amani Hooker already has a career-high five interceptions. With one more, he would have the Titans' first six-interception season since 2017 when Kevin Byard had eight. ... LT JC Latham can start Sunday and become the first rookie offensive lineman to start every game his first season since Jack Conklin in 2016. He would become the fourth since the team took the Titans' nickname for the 1999 season, joining Conklin, Chance Warmack (2013) and Michael Roos (2005). ... WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has nine TD catches, tied for ninth most in the NFL despite not catching a pass through the first month of the season. ... Chig Okonkwo has 22 catches in the past three games combined, tying Delanie Walker's three-game stretch in 2015 for the most catches by a tight end for the franchise since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.

WR Calvin Ridley leads the Titans with 61 catches for 941 yards. He's 59 yards from a second straight 1,000-yard receiving season and the third of his career.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Tennessee Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph (11) looks to throw a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears, left, runs the ball past Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz (86) catches a pass over Baltimore Ravens safety Ar'Darius Washington (29) during the first half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) is helped off the field after getting injured during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) looks on from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph (11) is sacked by Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan answers questions from reporters after an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Just 36 seconds away from clinching the NFC South title, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had another goal to achieve.

Take a knee on their 32-yard line and run out the clock?

No chance. Mike Evans still needed 5 yards to make history.

Evans caught a 9-yard pass on the final play of the game to surpass 1,000 yards for the 11th straight season, tying Jerry Rice for the most ever in the NFL and setting off a wild celebration following Tampa Bay's 27-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

“He always (puts the team first),” Baker Mayfield said of Evans. “That’s why you love him. We’re lucky to have him. He’s underappreciated throughout the media and the league. He’s one of one. He deserves that. You saw the stadium erupt. You saw the sideline erupt. You can tell how much people care about him and what that means for everybody around him.”

Mayfield used his legs and arm to help the Buccaneers secure their fourth straight division championship, rallying the team from a 16-6 deficit for his first career win after trailing by 10 or more points. Mayfield had been 0-43 in those situations.

Mayfield fired a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan for the go-ahead score and then scrambled 28 yards for a crucial first down on the next drive. After Mayfield’s long scramble on third-and-14 from the Tampa 12, the Buccaneers drove to the Saints 11. Mayfield looked for Evans but flipped the ball backward to Bucky Irving, who ran 11 yards for a TD.

The Saints turned the ball over on downs and the Buccaneers got one more chance to get Evans the milestone.

Mayfield tossed a short pass to Evans, who ran upfield for a 9-yard gain. He got up, spiked the ball and was mobbed by teammates.

“I was hoping we got a stop because I can't pass up history,” said Evans, who missed several games this season with a hamstring injury. “I'm happy they let me go out and get that. It's hard to do for 11 straight years. To be tied with one of, if not the greatest receiver of all time, it means a lot to me and my family.”

The Buccaneers will be the NFC’s No. 3 seed if the Los Angeles Rams lose to Seattle. If the Rams win, they’ll be the fourth seed.

Mayfield threw for 212 yards and two TDs and had a career-high 68 yards rushing as the Buccaneers (10-7) made sure they didn’t need Atlanta to lose to Carolina to win the division. The Falcons eventually lost in overtime.

Spencer Rattler had 240 yards passing and one TD for the Saints (5-12).

The Buccaneers trailed most of the game and were down 16-6 at halftime. They went ahead when Mayfield connected with McMillan for a score in the fourth quarter. McMillan was penalized 15 yards for an unsportsmanlike penalty after making a 33-yard catch that extended the drive on fourth-and-8. The rookie receiver signaled first down in a gesture that was interpreted as mimicking shooting a gun. That pushed the Buccaneers back from the 9 to the 24.

But McMillan made up for it with a toe-tapping catch in the end zone for his seventh TD in the past five games.

“My fingers were taped so I didn't really think about it,” McMillan said of the gun gesture. “But I messed up. I kept my composure and that's football, you have highs and lows. ... and the ball found me again.”

The Saints scored on their first four possessions, including Rattler’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Dante Pettis.

Facing a depleted secondary missing three starters, Rattler carved up Tampa’s defense in the first half. He completed 21 of 28 for 151 yards while building a 10-point lead.

With Tom Brady watching from the television booth, the Buccaneers secured their fifth straight playoff appearance. The streak began in 2020 when Brady left the Patriots to join Tampa Bay and led the Buccaneers to the franchise’s second Super Bowl title.

Mayfield stepped in last year after Brady retired, revived his career and helped the Buccaneers advance to the divisional round.

Mayfield had a career year this season, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 TDs.

The Saints finished a disappointing season that began with plenty of promise. New Orleans opened 2-0, outscoring the Panthers and Cowboys 91-29. But the Saints fell apart, coach Dennis Allen lost his job and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi took over on an interim basis.

“For us to be playing for nothing and for our guys to go out there and give the effort they gave, it's pretty remarkable,” Rizzi said. “Right up to the last play of the season, our guys are fighting, scratching, clawing. That's a credit to them.”

The Buccaneers were 0-6 this season when they didn’t score first. Blake Grupe kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Saints a 3-0 lead on the opening drive.

Saints: S Tyrann Mathieu left the game with a concussion in the fourth quarter.

Buccaneers: S Antoine Winfield Jr (knee), TE Cade Otton (knee) and CB WR Jamel Dean (knee) were inactive. S Jordan Whitehead also didn’t play because he was injured in a car accident

Saints: Head coaching search.

Buccaneers: Host a wild-card playoff game.

NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Dante Pettis (17) pulls in a touchdown reception during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) pulls in a pass against New Orleans Saints cornerback Will Harris (5) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) passes during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi reacts on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sean Tucker (44) is stopped by New Orleans Saints safety Millard Bradford on a kickoff return during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) scrambles during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)