Texans look to end year with back to back wins

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans have never won a season finale and haven’t won back-to-back games in more than two years.

So forget telling them today’s game against the sagging Cleveland Browns, losers of three straight, doesn’t matter.

“It’s real meaningful to us,” receiver Andre Johnson said. “The last game is something you could build on. We need that.”

Houston wants to guard against a letdown after last week’s emotional win over the Colts.

And the few Texans (5-10) left from 2004 remember the last time they closed out the season against the Browns (4- 11). Houston had won two straight and had a chance to break .500 for the first time entering the game, but allowed Cleveland to break a nine-game losing streak with a 22-14 win.

“We’re pretty much in the same situation that we were then, so we’re going to do everything we can not to have the same thing happen again,” Johnson said.

Leading Houston will be much-criticized quarterback David Carr, who could use a big game to help prove he should remain the Texans’ starter. He rebounded from a four interception outing two weeks ago to throw for 163 yards and a touchdown against the Colts.

“The key for David is that he has to make a lot of progress and carry a little bit more of a load for this franchise as we try to make this team better,” said Texans coach Gary Kubiak. “There is still a long way to go, but there has been some progress.”

Houston will face a Cleveland team that will start thirdstring quarterback Ken Dorsey after losing both Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson to injury.

“I’m hoping to get some leadership because he has played four years in the NFLand he has played NFLgames and so he does have that kind of experience,” said Browns coach Romeo Crennel. “He’s a smart kid and I hope that he will be able to read his progressions and take what the defense gives him.”

Dorsey has thrown just one pass all season, but has started 10 games in his four-year career. His most recent start came last November in San Francisco’s loss to Tennessee.

“I expect a lot out of myself, but I think the biggest thing is going out and trying to get a win,” he said. “No matter how it happens, it would be good to end things on a right note. That’s our focus on this team.”

Johnson, who was suitemates with Dorsey for a year at Miami, said he’ll let his teammates know they can’t take him lightly.

“You definitely can’t underestimate him,” Johnson said. “Everybody talks about him not having the arm strength and things like that, but he makes smart decisions.”

Kubiak agreed.

“I’ve always been impressed with him and what he’s been able to do, not only in college but with the few opportunities he’s had in the pros,” he said. “In a lot of ways, the only difference between him and a lot of quarterbacks in this league is opportunities.”

It’s unclear whether he’ll have leading receiver Braylon Edwards as a target to start with on Sunday. Edwards missed his first start of the season last week against Tampa Bay for undisclosed reasons and Crennel hasn’t said whether he’ll start against Houston.

“Braylon, he spoke out and I didn’t start him last game, but I think he understands that this is a team and he’s part of a team,” Crennel said. “If he wants to remain part of a team he’s got to operate in a certain structure.”

While the focus in Cleveland is on the quarterback, the Texans are excited about the success of their running game behind the resurgent Ron Dayne. The 1999 Heisman Trophy winner ran for a career-high 153 yards and two touchdowns against Indianapolis and has 429 yards rushing and five touchdowns combined in the last four games.

“Ron is trying to revive his career,” Kubiak said. “I think it’s a combination of him becoming the healthiest that he’s been in the last year and trying to make the most out of an opportunity.”

A week after tearing through the NFL’s worst run defense, Dayne will get a shot at the AFC’s second-worst group against the run in the Browns. They are allowing 145.3 yards rushing a game.