Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (8) throws a pass as Leroy Harris (64) blocks Houston Texans' Brian Cushing (56) in the first quarter of an NFL football game on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, in Houston. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)
HOUSTON -- The Tennessee Titans barely got the victory they needed, then began sweating out their nervous afternoon.
Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes and the Titans kept alive their playoff hopes with a 23-22 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
The Titans (9-7) earned their first winning record since 2008 in Mike Munchak's first season, but their postseason fate depended on the outcome of later games in Cincinnati, Oakland and Denver. Tennessee got some early help when the New York Jets lost in Miami.
Houston (10-6) will head into its first postseason on a three-game losing streak. The Texans were locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs and coach Gary Kubiak played mostly reserves in the second half.
Rookie starter T.J. Yates left the game after one series and was replaced by Jake Delhomme. Coach Gary Kubiak said Yates had a bruised left shoulder but could've returned if necessary.
The 36-year-old Delhomme, signed Nov. 29 in the wake of season-ending injuries to starter Matt Schaub and backup Matt Leinart, completed 18 of 28 passes, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to Bryant Johnson with 14 seconds left.
Kubiak called for a 2-point conversion at the end. But after an illegal motion penalty, backup center Thomas Austin snapped the ball over Delhomme's head and the game was over.
Chris Johnson ran for 61 yards to go over 1,000 for the fourth consecutive season, and Rob Bironas kicked three field goals for Tennessee. The Titans needed a Bengals loss and victories by Oakland and Denver to earn a postseason rematch with the Texans back in Houston next week.
Tennessee rallied for two straight wins after a crippling loss to Indianapolis on Dec. 18.
The Texans had other concerns after Sunday's defeat.
Yates was sacked on Houston's first snap by Jurrell Casey and Derrick Morgan. He completed passes to Joel Dreessen and James Casey for first downs, before Tate and Derrick Ward started alternating touches for the rest of the drive.
Tate plowed into the end zone with 5:15 left in the first quarter, but Yates came off the field favoring his left shoulder and went to the locker room. Kubiak said Yates would undergo more tests Monday.
Delhomme, meanwhile, saw his first NFL action since December 2010 when he played for Cleveland.
Yates jogged back to the Houston sideline for the start of the second quarter. But after Bironas kicked a 21-yard field goal, Delhomme returned for the Texans' next possession.
Titans defensive end Dave Ball sacked Delhomme and knocked the ball loose, and safety Chris Hope recovered at the Texans 33. Hasselbeck threw a 25-yard pass to Jared Cook, then found Donnie Avery in the corner of the end zone to move Tennessee in front.
Hasselbeck completed 22 of 35 passes for 297 yards without an interception.
Delhomme threw a 16-yard pass to Andre Johnson to get Houston moving again. Johnson caught two passes and sat out the second half after missing the previous three games with a strained left hamstring.
Neil Rackers kicked a 52-yard field goal with 1:09 left in the first half, but Bironas booted a 43-yarder on the final play before the break to put Tennessee up 13-10. Bironas extended his own NFL record by kicking a field goal of 40 yards or longer for the 10th consecutive game.
The Texans rallied to tie it at 16-all, but Kubiak had most of his defensive starters on the bench in the fourth quarter. Nate Washington got behind rookie cornerback Brandon Harris and third-string safety Quintin Demps for a 23-yard touchdown with 4:31 remaining.
Texans linebacker Jesse Nading recovered a fumble by Ahmard Hall with under two minutes left, and Delhomme completed 5 of 6 passes to drive Houston for the late touchdown.
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