NASHVILLE - The Houston Texans clinched their second straight playoff berth and set a franchise record for wins in a season as they beat the Tennessee Titans 24-10 on Sunday.
Rookie linebacker Whitney Mercilus recovered a fumble and had two sacks, and the Texans (11-1) remain tied with Atlanta for the best record in the NFL with their sixth straight win. After needing overtime the past two games, the Texans forced six turnovers they turned into 10 points and had six sacks of Jake Locker when the Texans weren't batting down a handful of other passes.
The Texans swept Tennessee (4-8), the team they replaced in Houston, for only the second time. Matt Schaub threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns, and Arian Foster ran for a TD.
The Titans debuted new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, but they didn't help him out much as receivers dropped repeated balls.