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Texans fear Leinart suffered season-ending broken collarbone

A win is nice, but the Houston Texans suddenly have much bigger concerns than Sunday's 20-17 win in Jacksonville.

Matt Leinart, making his first start with the Texans in place of Matt Schaub, exited the game late during the second quarter with a left shoulder injury and didn't return. NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora reports that the Texans believe Leinart suffered a season-ending broken collarbone, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak told reporters after the game that X-rays on Leinart's shoulder were inconclusive, so nothing has been determined about his status. La Canfora reported Leinart will undergo further tests when the team returns to Houston.

"I'm going to hold off (on saying Leinart done for season)," Kubiak said. "We don't feel good about the X-ray we're looking at here. We're going to wait until we get home. … I'm just telling you what I know."

Leinart returned to the Texans' sideline during the second half with his left arm in a sling, and afterward was pessimistic about his chances of returning this season while calling the injury "unfortunate."

"There's a pretty strong possibility I probably won't be coming back this season," Leinart said. "It's pretty disappointing. It's tough to swallow, but we'll just move forward. Everything that's happened to me, this was a great opportunity."

It's certainly a bad trend for the Texans, who placed Schaub on injured reserve earlier this week. Backup Kellen Clemens, signed earlier this week, was ruled inactive before Sunday's game.

Rookie third-string quarterback T.J. Yates finished the game for the Texans and completed 8 of 15 passes for 70 yards. Kubiak said Yates would get the first-team repetitions during the week.

"I have a lot of confidence in him," Kubiak said. "This was a big situation for him to step in to."

The Texans, who worked out Jeff Garcia, Trent Edwards and others before signing Clemens, will likely sign another quarterback this week, according to La Canfora.

"We're banged up, but the biggest issue right now is the quarterback (Matt Leinart)," Kubiak added.

The Texans certainly hope Leinart is not out for the season, but their luck in this area hasn't been so good.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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