Playoff-bound Texans cruise to 23-14 win over the Titans, who land No. 1 draft pick

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Houston Texans gave what coach DeMeco Ryans wanted from their trip to Music City.

Leave with a win and a healthy roster before hosting an AFC wild-card game.

C.J. Stroud completed all six of his passes for 50 yards and a touchdown Sunday on the Texans' opening drive before going to the bench as Houston snapped a two-game skid with a 23-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

The Texans (10-7) also avoided being swept by the team they replaced in Houston. The Texans won for the first time since clinching their second straight AFC South title Dec. 15 with a win over Miami.

“We’ve earned a right to play postseason football, which is always our goal and now we’re excited for whatever opportunity comes next, whoever we’ll play, not sure who that will be yet," Ryans said.

Houston had to wait to learn its playoff opponent. The AFC's No. 4 seeded Texans will be hosting the Los Angeles Chargers, who beat the Raiders 34-20 later Sunday for the No. 5 seed. No TVs were on inside the Texans' locker room after the game.

“Great momentum heading to next week, and I feel like we needed that home-field advantage," Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins said of the Texans preparing for another home game. "There’s no better feeling.”

With the loss combined with New England's win over Buffalo, the Titans ' season of misery at least landed them the No. 1 pick overall in the NFL draft in April. Their 3-14 finish matches 2014 for the most losses in a season since relocating from Texas to Tennessee in 1997.

“It's not a position I ever want to be in again,” first-year Titans coach Brian Callahan said of holding the top overall pick.

Ryans said he would decide how long his starters played based on how the game went.

Stroud needed 11 plays and 7:17 on a drive capped with a 2-yard TD pass to Collins for a lead Houston never lost.

Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon had five carries on that drive, then his day was done. Mixon turned cheerleader running down the sideline with a ballcap as Dameon Pierce took his second carry 92 yards for his second rushing TD of the season early in the second quarter for a 13-0 lead.

Pierce finished with a career-high 176 yards rushing. Mixon had 23 yards and surpassed 1,000 for the fifth season in his career.

One of the biggest cheers from the thin crowd on a rainy, cold day came when former University of Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton's 48-yard TD pass putting the Patriots up 14-7 was shown on the video board.

Ka’imi Fairbairn finished the first half with a 27-yard field goal, putting the Texans up 16-3.

Tennessee gave second-year quarterback Will Levis his 12th start this season. Callahan kept his promise to rotate, putting in veteran Mason Rudolph on the fourth possession. Rudolph guided the Titans to a pair of field goals by Matthew Wright.

Levis had the better day despite a botched handoff returned for a fumble. He finished with 175 yards passing and a 49-yard TD pass to Tay Martin with 2:41 left.

Defensive end Derek Barnett got the ball on a botched handoff by Levis to Tony Pollard early in the fourth and went 36 yards for the TD and a 23-6 lead. It was Barnett's second such return for a TD this season and third of his career. He also had a sack.

Barnett not only played in college at Tennessee, he played high school ball at a Nashville suburb.

Tennessee has lots of decisions on how to use that No. 1 overall pick. The Titans had that selection last in 2016 and traded away for a draft that netted a trio of All-Pros including Derrick Henry. Whether Levis remains their quarterback after being the 33rd pick overall in 2023 will determine a lot of what happens.

“I feel like I’m the quarterback for this team and I can get us to the levels we want to get to, but it’s up to them,” Levis said.

Texans WR John Metchie was being evaluated in the concussion protocol after being hurt on an incompletion late in the third quarter that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty. LB Jake Hansen hurt an ankle

Titans TE Chig Okonkwo aggravated an abdominal injury that had him on the injury report in the first quarter.

Houston will be trying to win a second straight wild-card game under Ryans.

Tennessee goes into the offseason losers of six straight and eight of nine under Callahan. Now controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk has to decide what changes might be needed for a franchise building a $2.2 billion enclosed stadium next door set to open in 2027.

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Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. The Texans won 23-14. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans yells to an official during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Tennessee Titans fans wear bags over their heads as they watch during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) celebrates with a fan after an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. The Texans won 23-14. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Houston Texans defensive end Derek Barnett (95) celebrates with teammates after returning a fumble for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, left, celebrates with owner Cal McNair after an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. The Texans won 23-14. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan watches warm-ups before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) is tackled by Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock after catching a pass during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph (11) drops back to throw a pass against the Houston Texans during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Fans watch the Houston Texans play the Tennessee Titans during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10) throws a pass against the Tennessee Titans during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) is tackled by Houston Texans' Eric Murray after catching a pass during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce (31) celebrates after a 92-yard touchdown run as Tennessee Titans cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (29) looks down during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud talks to an official during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) catches a pass for a touchdown as Tennessee Titans cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (13) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud throws a pass against the Tennessee Titans during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

HONOLULU (AP) — A 3-year-old boy who died Monday was the fourth person to succumb to injuries from a massive explosion of fireworks on New Year's Eve at a Honolulu home, and a doctor said six others faced long recoveries in Arizona, where they were sent to be treated for severe burns.

The blast also killed three women and injured more than 20 people, many of whom have burns over most of their bodies.

The Honolulu medical examiner identified the toddler as Cassius Ramos-Benigno. The cause and manner of death were listed as pending.

The U.S. military flew six of the injured to Phoenix for treatment on Saturday because Hawaii’s lone burn center doesn’t have enough capacity to care for all the victims.

After the disaster, Hawaii's leaders intensified their oft-repeated calls to crack down on the state's vast illegal fireworks trade with stepped-up enforcement and greater penalties.

The six taken to Arizona are all in their 20s or 30s and have extensive burns, Dr. Kevin Foster, the director of the Arizona Burn Center, said at a news conference streamed online.

The person with the least has burns over 45% of their body while the most has burns over nearly 80% of their body. Each of the six is using a breathing tube and five are in medically induced comas.

Foster said they are all doing “very well” and have good vital signs. But it will be six months to a year before any are able to return to anything resembling a normal life, Foster said. Four patients will likely have to remain intubated and in a coma for weeks, he said.

The patients will likely suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, Foster said, adding the burn center has two full-time psychologists and a psychiatrist hospital on staff to help them.

“There’s something uniquely and particularly horrifying about being burned, especially from this type of injury,” Foster said. “And we anticipate that all of these patients are going to have some adjustment issues.”

Many required emergency surgery before leaving Hawaii and a number had traumatic injuries in addition to burns, because of the explosions and resulting projectiles, he said.

The Arizona Burn Center operated on all six on Sunday, performed three other surgeries Monday and plan three others Tuesday. By then, doctors should be done with removing burns and will progress to closing wounds and grafting skin, Foster said. Infections are the most dangerous and feared complication for burn patients, he said, while also predicting all would likely get them at some point.

“It’s just the way burn injury works, especially when you have large percent-of-total-body-surface-area burns like this,” Foster said.

The scars, and the physical limitations that come with them, will likely be the biggest thing that the patients have to deal with and are what will make these wounds lifelong injuries, he said.

Foundations affiliated with the burn center and the hospital it is a part of, Valleywise Health, are providing housing for patient relatives. Some burn center employees have even volunteered their homes, Foster said.

Hawaii’s diverse population has long celebrated New Year’s with fireworks, but in recent years, professional-grade aerial explosives have been growing in popularity even though they are illegal for amateurs. Neighborhoods across Oahu light up for hours as residents launch aerial fireworks into the sky from the narrow streets in front of their homes.

Honolulu authorities say a person attending a party lit a bundle of aerial fireworks, which fell on its side and shot explosives into two crates that contained additional aerials. Video of the resulting explosion shows a rapid series of blasts shooting fireworks in the air and around the front of a house.

Hawaii’s counties have varying rules on other types of fireworks. On Oahu, the state’s most populous island, only certain types of firecrackers are allowed to be used during specific timeframes on New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year and Fourth of July. However, many residents set off fireworks of all kinds year-round.

This story has been corrected to show that four of the patients taken to Arizona for treatment will likely have to remain intubated and in a coma for weeks, not months.

Associated Press writer Jennifer Sinco Kelleher contributed to this report.

People walk past the home where a New Year's Eve fireworks explosion killed and injured people, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

A woman sweeps debris from a driveway across the street from the home where a New Year's Eve fireworks explosion killed and injured people, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Evelyn Paguirigan points to broken windows at her home across the street from where a New Year's Eve fireworks explosion killed and injured people in Honolulu, on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

A woman walks in front of the home where a New Year's Eve fireworks explosion killed and injured people, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

A view of the home where a New Year's Eve fireworks explosion killed and injured people, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

A woman stands in front of the home where a New Year's Eve fireworks explosion killed and injured people, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

A damaged vehicle is seen near the home where a New Year's Eve fireworks explosion killed and injured people, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Fireworks debris is seen outside the home where a New Year's Eve fireworks explosion killed and injured people, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

A view of the home where a New Year's Eve fireworks explosion killed and injured people, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)