HOUSTON -- The Houston Texans' season seems to be unraveling at the worst possible time.
Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates and the vaunted defense struggled again Thursday night, and the playoff-bound Texans lost 19-16 to lowly Indianapolis, their second straight defeat after seven consecutive victories.
Coach Gary Kubiak said he's sticking with Yates as his starter even though the Texans signed veterans Jake Delhomme and Jeff Garcia in recent weeks.
"I think T.J. continues to do some good things," Kubiak said Friday. "I think he continues to get better, and like I said, for where we're heading here, he needs to continue to get better, and we just got to trust him and move forward."
Houston (10-5) clinched its first AFC South title and playoff berth on Dec. 11 but has followed up with back-to-back poor performances.
The Texans lost 28-13 to Cam Newton and Carolina on Sunday, then couldn't stop Dan Orlovsky from rallying the Colts in the fourth quarter.
Yates, a fifth-round pick thrust into the starting role less than a month ago, went 13 for 16 for 132 yards in Indy. He did not throw an interception but was sacked four times and lost a fumble.
Houston has scored 20 points or fewer in five straight games since Matt Schaub went out with a right Lisfranc fracture. Backup Matt Leinart broke his left collarbone in the second quarter of Houston's 20-13 win at Jacksonville in Week 12, and Houston has averaged 16 points in the four games Yates has started.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
