five in a row, he was winning a lot of races and a lot of ch

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Houston Texans are heading home with a lot more than a second straight victory at Indianapolis.Theyre atop the AFC South, again, and in control of their own postseason fate, again, if they keep finding ways to win games.What they did Sunday to snap a three-game losing streak and position themselves for a second straight AFC South title was rely on a proven old-school formula -- run efficiently, force turnovers and let the defense close it out.We have a mindset -- every game is a playoff game, Lamar Miller said after rushing for 107 yards in the 22-17 victory. When we came in (to practice) Monday, you could tell by the energy in the locker room.Right now, everything seems lined up for Houston even though theyre tied for the AFC South lead with Tennessee.Of the three division teams still in contention, Houston has the easiest schedule remaining. It also has a season sweep over the Titans and now its first season sweep of the Colts (6-7). Houston has won nine straight against division foes, tied with Kansas City for the longest active streak in the league.But after snapping a three-game losing streak by winning its second straight on Indys home turf, the Texans know theres still not a lot of margin for error.Its what we talked about, coming here and winning the game, Jadeveon Clowney said after his strip-sack of Andrew Luck on third-and-goal from the 3-yard line snuffed out a scoring chance late in the third quarter. We now control our own destiny.The Colts, meanwhile, must rely on help after Luck was picked off twice, lost the fumble and couldnt put enough points on the board on a frustrating day that left players battered and their playoff hopes severely bruised.It is not what we all anticipated and what we were working for but it didnt work out, Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. Sometimes that is just how life goes. You dust yourself off, you pick yourself up and you keep moving forward.Here are some other things we learned from Sundays game:GOLDEN OLDIESColts kicker Adam Vinatieri extended his NFL record of 100-point seasons to 19 and set a franchise record with his ninth 100-point season since joining the Colts in 2006. Indy running back Frank Gore ran for 41 yards and had 33 yards receiving, including an 18-yard TD catch, passing Terrell Owens (16,185) for No. 11 on the NFLs career list for yards from scrimmage. Gore has 16,217 yards.Houston linebacker Brian Cushing had six tackles to give him 639 in his career, three more than previous franchise record-holder DeMeco Ryans. Texans punter Shane Lechler also surpassed former Colts and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning with his 267th game played.GROUND AND POUNDThe city that once featured the high-octane run-and-shoot offense may go more frequently with the ground-and-pound style to win their second straight division crown.Houston rushed for 185 yards against the Colts and it could be the playbook of the future. After Brock Osweiler was picked off in the first half to end a scoring chance, Houston ran on 10 of its next 12 plays, capping the drive with Millers 2-yard TD plunge.REGRRESSIONThe Colts season largely has been a case of a couple of steps forward and a couple more backward. This week was a perfect example.After dominating the New York Jets on Monday night, the Colts scored one first-half field goal and didnt even come close again until early in the third quarter when a 41-yard defensive pass interference set up Gores score on a screen pass. Indys only other score came on a 35-yard TD pass to T.Y. Hilton early in the fourth.DEFENSIVE DIFFERENCEAfter missing last weeks game at Green Bay and being limited in practice earlier this week, Clowneys return made a difference. He finished with three tackles and one sack, but came up big when it mattered most with the strip sack on the goal line and pressuring Luck into an errant throw on fourth-and-1 from the Texans 42-yard line with 1:24 left to seal the win.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL . Wholesale NFL Jerseys China . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Wholesale NFL Authentic Jerseys . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. http://www.stitchedjerseysnfl.com/ .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Cheap NFL Jerseys Online . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. Cheap Stiched NFL Jerseys . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- On the eve of Jimmie Johnsons attempt to make NASCAR history, the six-time champion planned to go for a little run.How many miles?Seven, of course.Ive just got something with that number, Johnson said.His race for a record-tying seventh NASCAR championship is Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hes been chasing Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt in the history books for three years and finally has a shot at that magical mark.He may have even sensed months earlier that this would be his year. He had failed the last two years to advance to the championship-deciding finale, yet picked this year to wear a commemorative helmet during the 10-race Chase.The helmet is a tribute to Earnhardt and Petty. It reads Chasing 7.We just wanted to pay respect to Dale and to Richard, Johnson said. Its been cool to wear it. Its definitely been getting some attention, and honestly, its just out of respect to those two guys.Johnson has been stuck on six titles since 2013, the last year the Chase was decided on points. The elimination format introduced the next year was not kind to Johnson, and he failed to make it into the round of eight the last two seasons. He broke though this year and now just need to finish the finale higher than reigning champion Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Joey Logano to join the exclusive club.I never thought Id ever see a seventh championship in my lifetime by any driver, said three-time champion Darrell Waltrip. At the time, what Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty did was sort of unheard of.Petty is neutral on Johnsons potential milestone. He said he won his championships against Hall of Famers David Pearson, Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough, while Earnhardt raced against Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Terry Labonte and Bill Elliott.Theres no way to compare with what Ive done or what Earnhardts done or what Jimmies doing against each other, he said. I aint got a dog in this fight, you know what I mean? Probably from the PR standpoint, it would be great if he could win it. Because then every time they say something about him, theyre going to say something about me and Earnhardt.Johnson has been quite dominant in an impressive crowd during his illustrious career. Although all his titles were won after the 2004 introduction of the Chase, hes won in various formats and set a record with five-consecutive titles.Johnson has raked in 79 wins -- seventh all time, ahead of Earnhardts 76 -- and collected them against Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick and the Busch brothers. Yes, hes done it in amazing equipment fielded by Rick Hendrick, and sure, crew chief Chad Knaus ranks in the top three crew chiefs of all time.But Johnson puts in thee work and has honed in on a clean, professional career in what ranks him on former teammate Gordons list of all-time greats.dddddddddddd.I think he is the best that Ive ever raced against and possibly the best that there has ever been, Gordon said. Even days where I felt like I had a car that could compete with him, he did extraordinary things to get more out of it. He is a pretty calm, cool guy, but boy when you put that helmet on him and you get him in the racecar, he just becomes another person and takes it to another level.Yet for some reason, Johnsons accomplishments arent feted the way others have been. Johnson has often been referred to as too vanilla, and fans have cited his dominating stretch from 2006 to 2010 as a reason for NASCARs decline in popularity.Only the California native leads a very active life and, with personal fitness his cause, has created a wellness challenge for the community. He and his wife also have donated $4.8 million since 2009 in annual grants to schools in California, North Carolina and Oklahoma.He dressed as a handsome prince for Halloween to the delight of his two young daughters, and you would be hard-pressed to find a single person speak ill of Johnson.Jimmie is everything but vanilla, Hendrick said. I mean, he may come across at the track that way because hes so focused and driven, and he thinks like a computer when hes in the car. The way he eats, the way he exercises, everything is about physical and mental fitness for the race car.I think when he won five in a row, he was winning a lot of races and a lot of championships, and people maybe got a little tired of it. But I think then after the sixth one and we had a lull, I think they respect him now, and they look at what hes accomplished.Jimmie is going to get more credit when hes done than hell get when hes driving.Johnson remains immune from the discussions. Oh, he desperately wants that seventh title, but he doesnt worry about rankings or respect. Hes noticed more cheers in the last few years, but he doesnt need any approval.The way people talk about me, I feel like Ive received a lot of respect, he said. I think anybody thats winning gets booed. I watched Earnhardt get booed. I watched Gordon get booed. When you get older and dont win as much, you get cheered a bit more. I watched that for both of those guys.I get more cheers now. I feel Ive been very respected for what I do and what Ive accomplished, so I dont have a negative (feeling) on the way people think of me and what Ive done.---More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org ' ' '