The AFC playoffs could have ended up being altered by one false start, but Texans tight end Joel Dreesen is off the hook.
After pulling within 23-22 of the Titans, Texans coach Gary Kubiak decided to go for a potential winning two-point conversion with 14 seconds left in the game and his team's No. 3 playoff seeding already locked up.
That meant Tennessee's season would come down to one stop. Lose, and the Titans would be knocked out of playoff contention.
Houston lined up in a tight formation (perhaps indicating a run play?) at the 2, but Dreesen jumped before the snap, pushing back the attempt 5 yards. That definitely changed Kubiak's approach, as the Texans came back in a shotgun formation with three wide receivers and two split backs.
What happened next was a gift for Tennessee: Thomas Austin, who's listed as a guard but made his first start of the season at center, snapped the ball well over quarterback Jake Delhomme's head. The two-point conversion failed, and the Titans clung to slim playoff hopes.
The Titans needed help in the late games to make the playoffs, but they were eliminated once the Broncos lost to the Chiefs. Had the Titans reached the playoffs, it would have been as the No. 6 seed, and they would have returned to Houston next weekend for a wild-card came against the Texans, who closed the regular season with three consecutive losses.
Would've been interesting, but it wasn't to be.
