Brock Osweiler returns to Houston Texans' playoff picture

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- When Brock Osweiler was benched in the second quarter of the Houston Texans' 21-20 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 18 in favor of backup Tom Savage, it appeared the quarterback's first season in Houston was over.

If coach Bill O'Brien's words after Sunday's 24-17 loss to Tennessee in the Texans' regular season finale carry any weight, Osweiler might start the team's wild-card round playoff game next weekend.

Savage went into concussion protocol after the first play of the second quarter Sunday, when he snuck two yards for a first down. Osweiler played the rest of that period, except for one play at the end of the half when Savage took a knee after clearing protocol, and then returned for the second half when Houston decided Savage was out for the rest of the game.

Osweiler upped his level of play in the second half, leading the offense to 17 points and finishing 21 of 40 for 253 yards and a touchdown. Most important, Osweiler avoided the turnovers that undermined his first year with the Texans.

"He did a good job, he competed," O'Brien said. "Guys got open for him. He threw the ball -- did a nice job for us."

Asked after the game if Savage would start next weekend, O'Brien said, "We will talk about that as a staff. We will talk about that tomorrow and the next day. I think it's going to be an evaluation."

The plan was for Savage to play every snap and work at an increased tempo as Houston tried to find a rhythm for its offense. Instead, Savage lasted only one quarter and two plays, completing 5 of 8 passes for 25 yards and being strip-sacked for the Titans' first touchdown just over five minutes into the game.

Osweiler's relief outing didn't produce a win, but did produce praise from his teammates.

"I thought he did pretty good," left tackle Duane Brown said. "I thought he played pretty loose. He made some big plays. He connected with Hop (DeAndre Hopkins) on some big plays."

That was perhaps the most promising aspect of the day for Houston. Hopkins finished with 123 yards on seven catches -- just his second 100-yard game of the year.

Most of those passes came from Osweiler. Depending on what O'Brien and his staff learns from their evaluation, Osweiler could be the one targeting Hopkins again next weekend.