Sports

Texans are tops in AFC South

The Texans now own the AFC South, and they have a message for the rest of the NFL: Last week’s debacle against the Patriots was not the real Texans.

The real Texans, they claim, clinched the division for the second straight year with a 29-17 victory over the Colts yesterday in Houston.

“A lot of people were wondering how we were going to respond,” Andre Johnson said. “I think a lot of people doubted us after what happened last week. We [felt] like we had to show people what we were really about.”

They believe they did so against the Colts (9-5), a team that dominated the division for years before Houston’s recent rise.

But Sunday’s celebrations were more subdued than last year’s. This time the Texans (12-2) expected to win the division, and have much bigger goals ahead.

“It’s awesome,” J.J. Watt said. “But there’s a lot more fun ahead, so I hope everybody is not celebrating too early.”

Saints 41, Buccaneers 0

New Orleans, Drew Brees made easy work of Tampa Bay’s league-worst pass defense and Josh Freeman’s frustrating day only made things worse for the desperate Buccaneers.

Brees passed for 307 yards and four touchdowns, and the Saints recorded their first shutout in 17 years.

Brees connected on his scoring passes with tight end David Thomas, running back Darren Sproles and receivers Lance Moore and Joe Morgan. Mark Ingram added an 11-yard touchdown run for the Saints (6-8).

Panthers 31, Chargers 7

In San Diego, Mike Tolbert scored twice against his former team and DeAngelo Williams turned a tipped pass from Cam Newton into a 45-yard touchdown reception as the Panthers beat San Diego and eliminated the Chargers from playoff contention for the third straight season.

Raiders 15, Chiefs 0

The Raiders finally found a team they could beat.

Sebastian Janikowski kicked five field goals, Darren McFadden rushed for 110 yards and the Raiders shut out Kansas City for the second time ever, beating the Chiefs 15-0 in Oakland, Calif.