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The Associated PressHOUSTON (AP) – The Houston Texans wanted to pay tribute to their late owner and founder, Robert "Bob" McNair, who died last week at the age of 81.
They knew that the best way to do this Monday night was to continue on their winning streak.
Deshaun Watson made two touchdown passes and got another score as the Texans set a franchise record with their eighth straight win, 34-17 against the Tennessee Titans.
"The only thing Mr. McNair wanted was a winner," J.J. Watt said. "All he wanted was a winner. He wanted to win every week. He wanted a team that could win and win a championship in that city. So being able to win eight straight and being able to win tonight for him was a good thing, and we will try to keep doing it for him. "
Demaryius Thomas scored his first two touchdowns with Houston and Lamar Miller ran for 162 yards, including a 97-yard touchdown.
The Texans (8-3) also greeted McNair with white-print football-shaped decals bearing his initials "RCM".
With this tribute to the back of their helmets, they became the first team in the history of the NFL to win eight straight games after starting on a score of 0-3. They led AFC South by two games against Indianapolis.
"We have to try to keep improving," said coach Bill O'Brien. "We must take the mantra that we will improve every day."
The Texans took the lead 10 minutes before scoring 27 points.
Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins said there was no panic after the team fell in the first quarter.
"We beat 0-3 as a record, so being 10-0 on the board is nothing for this team," he said.
Tennessee (5-6) finally scored again for a 48-yard reception by Corey Davis at the end of the third quarter, but the second touchdown by Thomas – this one for 10 yards – raised the score to 34-17 with only a little over eight minutes.
Marcus Mariota, who missed the second half of last week's game with a scorer, was 22 out of 23 for 303 yards and two touchdowns. He completed his first 19 passes before an unfinished one with a little more than a minute.
Miller's 98-yard pass in the second quarter raised the score to 21-10. It was the longest race in the history of the franchise and the longest in the NFL since its run of the same length for a touchdown of December 28, 2014 with the Dolphins. He is the only player in league history with two career touchdowns of 95 yards or more.
Jags Dump OC, Bortles Bench
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – The Jacksonville Jaguars fired offensive coordinators Nathaniel Hackett and quarterback Blake Bortles one day after the team's seventh consecutive loss.
Coach Doug Marrone fired Hackett and put Bortles on the bench on Monday, bringing drastic changes to one of the league's worst offenses.
"I felt that I had to make a change to give us the opportunity to win games," said Marrone. "It's not an instinctive reaction. I really think that in the end we have to try to improve the production of our pass game or to get more consistent production in our pass game. "
Marrone promoted quarterback coach Scott Milanovich to the position of offensive coordinator, as well as alternate quarterback Cody Kessler.
Meanwhile, the NFL suspended halfback Leonard Fournette without pay for leaving the sideline, running on the court and punching Shaq Lawson, Buffalo Bills' defensive end.
NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan said on Monday: "Fair play is the cornerstone of the game and the league will not tolerate game-related foul play that would reflect a lack of respect for the game itself. and the people who participate in it. "Speech
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