Texans

The Houston Texans turned to their kids, then to their stars, to win the first playoff appearance in franchise history, a 31-10 rout of the bungling Cincinnati Bengals. Rookie J.J. Watt's leaping interception return for a touchdown late in the first half propelled the Texans in Saturday's AFC wild-card game. Third-string quarterback T.J. Yates, another rookie pressed into action, threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Andre Johnson, and Arian Foster followed with his second touchdown of the game, a 42-yard run in the fourth quarter, to finish off the Bengals (9-8)

The Houston Texans will hire Denver offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak to take over the worst team in the league and help decide what to do with the first pick in the draft. Texans owner Bob McNair said during a news conference last night that the hiring won't be completed until later in the week. The Texans couldn't negotiate a contract with Kubiak until the Broncos were eliminated from the playoffs. McNair's announcement came about an hour after Denver lost to Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship Game.

THE HOUSTON Texans look like the new bullies in the AFC - at least for now. Matt Schaub threw two touchdown passes, Arian Foster ran for two scores and the Texans dominated a showdown of the conference's top two teams, routing the Baltimore Ravens, 43-13, on Sunday. Johnathan Joseph returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown and the Texans (6-1) finally beat Baltimore, which had won all six previous meetings and eliminated them from last year's playoffs. Schaub completed 23 of 37 passes for 256 yards and the Texans set a franchise record for points in a game and finished with 420 yards.

The Houston Texans know the ultimate success for most NFL teams lies at quarterback. So when the Texans make the first selection in the NFL draft on April 20, they will choose Fresno State quarterback David Carr. That announcement, unusual in that it came more than two weeks before the draft, was announced yesterday by owner Bob McNair, although the decision was made by general manager Charley Casserly and coach Dom Capers. "To win, you have to have a good quarterback. Charley and his people have looked at this long and hard," McNair said.

INDIANAPOLIS - Reggie Wayne will always remember last night's catch. The man with the expiring contract caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Dan Orlovsky with 19 seconds left, giving the Colts their only lead of the game in a 19-16 victory over AFC South champion Houston. It's the second straight win for the Colts (2-13), who will have to fight off St. Louis and Minnesota for the No. 1 overall draft pick. Orlovsky, who played the last two seasons with Houston, also won his second straight game after losing his first nine NFL starts.

HOUSTON - Andre Johnson turned upfield, fell awkwardly forward and clutched the back of his right leg. In past seasons, an injury to their All-Pro receiver would've doomed the Texans. That was before they had Arian Foster. Foster rushed for 155 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown after Johnson left with a hamstring injury, leading the Texans to a 17-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday. "I go into every contest thinking that I'm the go-to guy," Foster said.

LANDOVER, Md. - Neil Rackers kicked a 35-yard field goal with 3 minutes, 24 seconds left in overtime Sunday as Houston edged the Washington Redskins, 30-27. The Texans' Matt Schaub passed for 497 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Was?FG Gano 41, 9:37. Was?FG Gano 27, 5:48. Hou?Jones 5 pass from Schaub (Rackers kick), 14:56. Was?Portis 1 run (Gano kick), 12:29. Was?Portis 1 run (Gano kick), 1:20. Hou?FG Rackers 47, 9:22. Was?Cooley 22 pass from McNabb (Gano kick)

Last week, an agent for Eric Moulds said the wide receiver wanted to play for the Eagles. That, obviously, didn't work out, and yesterday, he agreed to a contract with Houston and said the Texans have worked out a trade to acquire him from Buffalo. Moulds, who had the Bills' permission to seek a trade, agreed to a 4-year, $14 million contract that includes a $5 million signing bonus. It's not clear what the Texans traded to Buffalo, but it's believed to be a fourth- or fifth-round pick in this month's draft.

The Houston Texans are expected to turn to Jacksonville's first college draft pick ever as their top pick in today's expansion draft. Tony Boselli, the expansion Jaguars' No. 1 pick out of Southern California in 1995, probably will be called on to help build another expansion team. "Boselli is a cornerstone," Texans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer said. "He will be a trivia question if we take him. He'd be the only guy ever picked by two expansion teams. " Boselli, selected for the Pro Bowl five times, played in only three games last season because of shoulder injuries.

The Houston Texans, the NFL's newest franchise, have signed former Packer Matt Snider for their inaugural season next year, Snider's agent said yesterday. The team also is talking to Kevin Williams, a former starting free safety for the New York Jets. Snider, a fullback, played mostly on special teams with the Packers. He had no carries for no yards and no receptions. His agent, Joe Linta, said he signed a one-year deal. Texans spokesman Tony Wyllie said the team plans to hold a news conference tomorrow to introduce the first 10 players signed by the expansion club.

TRENTON - A Texas man arrested with 21 guns in his car while passing through New Jersey four years ago will remain in prison after an appeals court on Monday upheld his conviction in a case that could wind up in front of the state Supreme Court. Dustin Reininger is serving a five-year sentence with a three-year minimum before he is eligible for parole. A jury convicted him in absentia in 2010 on several weapons counts including illegal possession of shotguns, rifles, hollow-point bullets, and a high-capacity magazine after police found him sleeping in his car behind a bank in Readington early March 20, 2009.

WEST, Texas - First Baptist Church in the tiny Texas town where a fertilizer plant exploded is still off-limits, so the Rev. John Crowder put folding chairs in a hay pasture and improvised a pulpit on a truck flatbed. At the elementary school, an official carted extra desks and chairs into the only public school campus that's left. This was Sunday in West. Four days after the blast that killed 14 people and injured 200 others, residents prayed for comfort and got ready for the week ahead, some of them still waiting to find out when - or if - they will be able to go back home.

THE HOUSTON Texans are hoping two massive new video screens will help lure the 2017 Super Bowl to Reliant Stadium. The Texans are in the process of installing the video boards, which will be ready for use in Houston's first preseason game in August. Cowboys Stadium in Arlington currently has the biggest screens, and Houston's will be about 30 percent larger than those. The two new boards will have about six times the area as the current video boards and will be placed in each end zone.

Looking to improve a punting game that has been lacking, the Eagles signed two-time all-pro punter Donnie Jones to a one-year contract after his former team, the Texans, signed Shane Lechler to a deal on Friday. The addition of Jones led to the release of Mat McBriar. Signed by the Eagles during training camp last summer, cut before the season, and then brought back in September, McBriar never fully rebounded from offseason foot surgery and finished tied for last in the NFL in net punting average.

Free agent safety Ed Reed , a nine-time Pro Bowler who spent his first 11 NFL seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, signed with the Houston Texans on Friday. The Texans did not disclose terms, although the Houston Chronicle reported it was a three-year deal worth $15 million, with $5 million guaranteed. Reed, 34, made $7.2 million last season with the Ravens, who have been gutted in free agency since beating the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with linebacker D.J. Williams , giving them a possible replacement for Brian Urlacher . The Broncos released Williams on the eve of free agency.

DUBLIN, Ireland - A chilly, damp Dublin celebrated St. Patrick's Day with artistic flair Sunday as the focal point for a weekend of Irish celebrations worldwide. More than 250,000 revelers braved the occasionally snowy, sleety skies to line the streets for the traditional holiday parade, a two-mile jaunt through the city's heart involving performers from 46 countries. Unusually, 8,000 tourists in town for the festivities led the procession in a "people's parade. " Many donned leprechaun costumes or deployed banners and flags of their home nations or U.S. states, with the Texans making the biggest impression, sporting "Happy St. Paddy's Day, Y'All!"

JUST AS FANS started to get good and worked up about the Eagles' inactivity in the early hours of free agency, the team dropped a load of signings on the reeling Twitterverse. Five new Eagles joined the roster, though they weren't the splashy, top-of-the-market guys some fans always seem to want, in the face of solid evidence that trying to build a winner that way doesn't work. The signings reflected what general manager Howie Roseman and new coach Chip Kelly said in the weeks leading up to the opening of the market: The Eagles need players, as they transition from the Andy Reid era to new systems.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Tom Brady idolized Joe Montana as a kid in the Bay Area. Now he has surpassed his hero for postseason wins. Brady got his 17th, the most for any quarterback, in New England's 41-28 AFC divisional victory over Houston on Sunday. If Brady can lead the Patriots past Baltimore in next Sunday's conference title game, then win the Super Bowl, he will equal the 49ers' Hall of Famer for NFL championships. Brady has guided the Patriots to five Super Bowls, winning the first three; Montana was 4 for 4 in the big game, playing for Brady's hometown team.

IF YOU WERE one of the many turned away from the Flyers' first official practice - held Sunday at a packed SkateZone in Voorhees, N.J. - take heed. The Flyers are holding a free, open-to-the-public practice at a slightly larger venue on Thursday at 6 p.m.: The Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers said they are holding the event, which will be emceed by Steve Coates, to thank fans for their patience during the lockout. "It will be great to get our fans back inside the Wells Fargo Center and get them ready for Flyers hockey," Comcast Spectacor president Peter Luukko said in a statement.

TOM BRADY became the winningest quarterback in postseason play, throwing for three touchdowns Sunday to beat Houston, 41-28, and lift the New England Patriots into the AFC Championship Game. Brady got his 17th victory, surpassing his childhood hero, Joe Montana, by throwing for 344 yards. Seldom-used running back Shane Vereen scored three times, twice on receptions. If Brady can lead the Patriots (13-4) past Baltimore (12-6) in next Sunday's conference title game, then win the Super Bowl, he'll equal the 49ers' Hall of Famer for NFL championships.