# 2004 Houston Texans season

The 2004 season was the Houston Texans' third in the National Football League, all of which they had spent under head coach Dom Capers. The team finished 7–9, two games better than the previous season, and came third in the AFC South, the first time they had not finished bottom. The Texans also earned their first victory over the Tennessee Titans, the franchise previously known as the Oilers, who had left Houston after the 1996 season.
Quarterback David Carr, who missed four games the previous season, started all 16 games in 2004. Carr finished 2004 as his best season with Houston, finishing 285-of-466 for 3,531 yards with 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Carr's 466 attempts, 3,531 passing yards, and 16 passing touchdowns would all be career highs for him. Additionally, this was the first season Carr finished with more touchdowns than interceptions.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

2004 Houston Texans draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 10 | Dunta Robinson | Cornerback | South Carolina | |
| 1 | 27 | Jason Babin * | Outside linebacker | Western Michigan | from Tennessee |
| 4 | 122 | Glenn Earl | Safety | Notre Dame | from Indianapolis |
| 6 | 170 | Vontez Duff | Defensive back | Notre Dame | |
| 6 | 175 | Jammal Lord | Running back | Nebraska | |
| 6 | 200 | Charlie Anderson | Linebacker | Mississippi | Compensatory selection |
| 7 | 210 | Raheem Orr | Linebacker | Rutgers | from Jacksonville |
| 7 | 211 | Sloan Thomas | Wide receiver | Texas | |
| 7 | 248 | B. J. Symons | Quarterback | Texas Tech | Compensatory selection |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | August 15 | Dallas Cowboys | W 18–0 | 1–0 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 22 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 3–38 | 1–1 | Heinz Field | Recap |
| 3 | August 28 | at Denver Broncos | L 17–31 | 1–2 | Invesco Field at Mile High | Recap |
| 4 | September 3 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 9–17 | 1–3 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 12 | San Diego Chargers | L 20–27 | 0–1 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 19 | at Detroit Lions | L 16–28 | 0–2 | Ford Field | Recap |
| 3 | September 26 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 24–21 | 1–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | October 3 | Oakland Raiders | W 30–17 | 2–2 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 10 | Minnesota Vikings | L 28–34 (OT) | 2–3 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 17 | at Tennessee Titans | W 20–10 | 3–3 | The Coliseum | Recap |
| 7 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 8 | October 31 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 20–6 | 4–3 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 7 | at Denver Broncos | L 13–31 | 4–4 | Invesco Field at Mile High | Recap |
| 10 | November 14 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 14–49 | 4–5 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 11 | November 21 | Green Bay Packers | L 13–16 | 4–6 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 28 | Tennessee Titans | W 31–21 | 5–6 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | December 5 | at New York Jets | L 7–29 | 5–7 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 12 | Indianapolis Colts | L 14–23 | 5–8 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 19 | at Chicago Bears | W 24–5 | 6–8 | Soldier Field | Recap |
| 16 | December 26 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 21–0 | 7–8 | Alltel Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | January 2 | Cleveland Browns | L 14–22 | 7–9 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs. San Diego Chargers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 3 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
| Texans | 3 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: September 12
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 70,255
* Referee: Bill Leavy
* TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 37-yard field goal, 11:49. Texans 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 3:00.
SD – Nate Kaeding 48-yard field goal, 6:35. Tied 3–3. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 5:03.
Second quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 20-yard field goal, 14:07. Texans 6–3. Drive: 13 plays, 71 yards, 7:20.
SD – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:51. Chargers 10–6. Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 2:22.
HOU – Domanick Williams 2-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 4:43. Texans 13–10. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:58.
Third quarter
SD – Reche Caldwell 36-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:12. Chargers 17–13. Drive: 4 plays, 49 yards, 1:33.
HOU – Domanick Williams 1-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 4:36. Texans 20–17. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 4:22.
SD – Nate Kaeding 29-yard field goal, 0:00. Tied 20–20. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 4:27.
Fourth quarter
SD – Eric Parker 19-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 8:34. Chargers 27–20. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 5:11.
Top passers
SD – Drew Brees – 17/24, 209 yards, 2 TD
HOU – David Carr – 19/25, 229 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
SD – LaDainian Tomlinson – 26 rushes, 121 yards, TD
HOU – Domanick Williams – 21 rushes, 87 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
SD – Antonio Gates – 8 receptions, 123 yards
HOU – Domanick Williams – 5 receptions, 70 yards :

#### Week 2: at Detroit Lions

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
| Lions | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
* Date: September 19
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT / 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: None (played indoors)
* Game attendance: 61,465
* Referee: Jeff Triplette
* TV announcers (CBS): Bill Macatee, Steve Beuerlein
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays
Second quarter
DET – Cory Schlesinger 1-yard pass from Joey Harrington (Jason Hanson kick), 6:56. Lions 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards, 5:09.
HOU – Kris Brown 34-yard field goal, 1:06. Lions 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 66 yards, 5:05.
Third quarter
DET – Roy Williams 31-yard pass from Joey Harrington (Jason Hanson kick), 6:38. Lions 14–3. Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 5:24.
HOU – Andre Johnson 54-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 2:31. Lions 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 3:43.
DET – Eddie Drummond 99-yard kickoff return (Jason Hanson kick), 2:16. Lions 21–10.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Corey Bradford 27-yard pass from David Carr (pass failed), 12:20. Lions 21–16. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 7:39.
DET – Roy Williams 14-yard pass from Joey Harrington (Jason Hanson kick), 4:41. Lions 28–16. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 6:43.
Top passers
HOU – David Carr – 23/34, 313 yards, 2 TD, INT
DET – Joey Harrington – 18/25, 176 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
HOU – Domanick Williams – 25 rushes, 78 yards
DET – Kevin Jones – 12 rushes, 57 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Domanick Williams – 11 receptions, 95 yards
DET – Roy Williams – 4 receptions, 73 yards, 2 TD :

#### Week 3: at Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 24 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
* Date: September 26
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 71 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 77,433
* Referee: Peter Morelli
* TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, Marcus Allen
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
KC – Tony Gonzalez 14-yard pass from Trent Green (Lawrence Tynes kick), 5:35. Chiefs 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:33.
Second quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 28-yard field goal, 6:15. Chiefs 7–3. Drive: 9 plays, 88 yards, 5:14.
HOU – Kris Brown 49-yard field goal, 0:10. Chiefs 7–6. 'Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 1:37.
Third quarter
KC – Chris Horn 6-yard pass from Trent Green (Lawrence Tynes kick), 11:10. Chiefs 14–6. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 3:13.
HOU – Marcus Coleman 102-yard interception return (Jonathan Wells run), 3:51. Tied 14–14.
Fourth quarter
KC – Jason Dunn 5-yard pass from Trent Green (Lawrence Tynes kick), 10:55. Chiefs 21–14. Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 3:40.
HOU – Jabar Gaffney 9-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 5:20. Tied 21–21. Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 5:11.
HOU – Kris Brown 49-yard field goal, 0:02. Texans 24–21. Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 2:11.
Top passers
HOU – David Carr – 13/25, 233 yards, TD, INT
KC – Trent Green – 21/30, 226 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
HOU – Jonathan Wells – 10 rushes, 37 yards
KC – Priest Holmes – 32 rushes, 134 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Andre Johnson – 4 receptions, 96 yards
KC – Tony Gonzalez – 8 receptions, 106 yards, TD :

#### Week 4: vs. Oakland Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Texans | 3 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: October 3
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 70,741
* Referee: Bill Vinovich
* TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 46-yard field goal, 3:09. Texans 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 55 yards, 4:16.
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 50-yard field goal, 0:42. Tied 3–3. Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 2:17.
Second quarter
HOU – Jamie Sharper 16-yard fumble return (Kris Brown kick), 11:41. Texans 10–3.
OAK – Amos Zereoué 55-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 7:02. Tied 10–10. Drive: 1 play, 55 yards, 0:15.
HOU – Jonathan Wells 1-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 3:25. Texans 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:20.
OAK – Amos Zereoué 3-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 0:47. Tied 17–17. Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 2:27.
Third quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 21-yard field goal, 3:03. Texans 20–17. Drive: 6 plays, 15 yards, 3:21.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Andre Johnson 15-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 14:48. Texans 27–17. Drive: 4 plays, 30 yards, 0:33.
HOU – Kris Brown 44-yard field goal, 3:19. Texans 30–17. Drive: 14 plays, 73 yards, 7:29.
Top passers
OAK – Kerry Collins – 21/38, 237 yards, 3 INT
HOU – David Carr – 14/23, 228 yards, TD
Top rushers
OAK – Amos Zereoué – 14 rushes, 117 yards, 2 TD
HOU – Jonathan Wells – 26 rushes, 105 yards, TD
Top receivers
OAK – Ronald Curry – 5 receptions, 69 yards
HOU – Andre Johnson – 6 receptions, 115 yards, TD :

#### Week 5: vs. Minnesota Vikings

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Vikings | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 34 |
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 28 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: October 10
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 70,718
* Referee: Ed Hochuli
* TV: Fox
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays
Second quarter
MIN – Randy Moss 1-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Morten Andersen kick), 14:11. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 6:40.
MIN – Nate Burleson 5-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Morten Andersen kick), 0:36. Vikings 14–0. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 2:23.
Third quarter
MIN – Marcus Robinson 10-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Morten Andersen kick), 11:50. Vikings 21–0. Drive: 3 plays, 49 yards, 0:46.
HOU – Andre Johnson 2-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 6:52. Vikings 21–7. Drive: 9 plays, 94 yards, 4:58.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Domanick Davis 1-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 11:31. Vikings 21–14. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 3:11.
MIN – Randy Moss 50-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Morten Andersen kick), 6:49. Vikings 28–14. Drive: 3 plays, 59 yards, 0:59.
HOU – Derick Armstrong 11-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 3:11. Vikings 28–21. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 3:38.
HOU – Andre Johnson 22-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 1:53. Tied 28–28. Drive: 3 plays, 42 yards, 0:28.
Overtime
MIN – Marcus Robinson 50-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper, 7:05. Vikings 34–28. Drive: 6 plays, 81 yards, 2:30.
Top passers
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 36/50, 396 yards, 5 TD
HOU – David Carr – 27/42, 372 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
MIN – Mewelde Moore – 20 rushes, 92 yards
HOU – Domanick Davis – 14 rushes, 31 yards, TD
Top receivers
MIN – Marcus Robinson – 9 receptions, 150 yards, 2 TD
HOU – Andre Johnson – 12 receptions, 170 yards, 2 TD :

#### Week 6: at Tennessee Titans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Titans | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at The Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee
* Date: October 17
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 68,932
* Referee: Walt Coleman
* TV: CBS
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 21-yard field goal, 9:42. Texans 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 5:18.
Second quarter
TEN – Drew Bennett 10-yard pass from Steve McNair (Gary Anderson kick), 12:49. Titans 7–3. Drive: 5 plays, 32 yards, 2:01.
HOU – Jabar Gaffney 20-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 9:12. Texans 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 3:37.
TEN – Gary Anderson 40-yard field goal, 6:02. Tied 10–10. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 3:10.
HOU – Kris Brown 50-yard field goal, 2:38. Texans 13–10. Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards, 3:24.
Third quarter
No scoring plays
Fourth quarter
HOU – Jonathan Wells 4-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 4:42. Texans 20–10. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 4:43.
Top passers
HOU – David Carr – 16/26, 266 yards, TD, INT
TEN – Steve McNair – 19/41, 210 yards, TD, 4 INT
Top rushers
HOU – Jonathan Wells – 22 rushes, 73 yards, TD
TEN – Chris Brown – 13 rushes, 52 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Andre Johnson – 4 receptions, 66 yards
TEN – Derrick Mason – 5 receptions, 74 yards :
With the win, the Texans improved to 3–3. This was the Texans' first win over the Tennessee Titans, who previously played in Houston as the Oilers from 1960 to 1996.

#### Week 8: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Texans | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: October 31
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 70,502
* Referee: Bill Leavy
* TV: CBS
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Corey Bradford 15-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 3:20. Texans 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 40 yards, 4:50.
Second quarter
JAX – Josh Scobee 44-yard field goal, 6:33. Texans 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 54 yards, 5:37.
HOU – Kris Brown 38-yard field goal, 0:00. Texans 10–3. Drive: 3 plays, 50 yards, 0:15.
Third quarter
No scoring plays
Fourth quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 21-yard field goal, 6:45. Texans 13–3. Drive: 12 plays, 54 yards, 5:27.
JAX – Josh Scobee 36-yard field goal, 3:52. Texans 13–6. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 2:45.
HOU – Demarcus Faggins 43-yard interception return (Kris Brown kick), 0:42. Texans 20–6.
Top passers
JAX – Byron Leftwich – 25/40, 227 yards, 2 INT
HOU – David Carr – 26/34, 276 yards, TD
Top rushers
JAX – LaBrandon Toefield – 5 rushes, 22 yards
HOU – Domanick Williams – 22 rushes, 56 yards
Top receivers
JAX – Jimmy Smith – 9 receptions, 117 yards
HOU – Jabar Gaffney – 5 receptions, 88 yards :

#### Week 9: at Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Broncos | 7 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
* Date: November 7
* Game time: 3:15 p.m. CST/2:15 p.m. MST
* Game weather: Sunny, 69 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 74,292
* Referee: Jeff Triplette
* Box score

#### Week 10: at Indianapolis Colts

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Colts | 7 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 49 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
* Date: November 14
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: None (played indoors)
* Game attendance: 56,511
* Referee: Bill Carollo
* Box score

#### Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
| Texans | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: November 21
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 70,769
* Referee: Peter Morelli
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire, and Suzy Kolber
* Box score

#### Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Titans | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Texans | 3 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: November 28
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 70,721
* Referee: Larry Nemmers
* TV: CBS
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Erron Kinney 12-yard pass from Steve McNair (Gary Anderson kick), 10:13. Titans 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 4:47.
TEN – Erron Kinney 11-yard pass from Steve McNair (Gary Anderson kick), 5:44. Titans 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 3:37.
HOU – Kris Brown 29-yard field goal, 0:35. Titans 14–3. Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 5:09.
Second quarter
TEN – Derrick Mason 4-yard pass from Steve McNair (Gary Anderson kick), 10:38. Titans 21–3. Drive: 3 plays, 40 yards, 1:26.
HOU – Jonathan Wells 7-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 6:46. Titans 21–10. Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 3:52.
Third quarter
HOU – Billy Miller 14-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 9:20. Titans 21–17. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 5:40.
HOU – Andre Johnson 11-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 2:35. Texans 24–21. Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, 1:58.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Domanick Williams 41-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 1:34. Texans 31–21. Drive: 2 plays, 44 yards, 0:13.
Top passers
TEN – Steve McNair – 25/34, 227 yards, 3 TD, INT
HOU – David Carr – 21/30, 201 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
TEN – Antowain Smith – 21 rushes, 90 yards
HOU – Domanick Williams – 16 rushes, 129 yards, TD
Top receivers
TEN – Derrick Mason – 8 receptions, 87 yards, TD
HOU – Domanick Williams – 7 receptions, 52 yards :
With the win, the Texans improved to 5–6, snapped their three game losing streak, and swept the Titans for the first time in franchise history.

#### Week 13: at New York Jets

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Jets | 3 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 29 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: December 5
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 56 °F (13 °C)
* Game attendance: 77,875
* Referee: Tom White
* Box score

#### Week 14: vs. Indianapolis Colts

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 14 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 23 |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: December 12
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 70,762
* Referee: Ed Hochuli
* Box score
With the loss to Indianapolis the Texans were eliminated from playoff contention at 5-8.

#### Week 15: at Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 24 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
* Date: December 19
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 12 °F (−11 °C)
* Game attendance: 62,122
* Referee: Bill Vinovich
* Box score

#### Week 16: at Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Jaguars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
* Date: December 26
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Clear, 40 °F (4 °C)
* Game attendance: 66,227
* Referee: Walt Coleman
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Domanick Davis 1-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 8:33. Texans 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 6:27.
Second quarter
HOU – Andre Johnson 10-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 6:46. Texans 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 2:38.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Antwan Peek 66-yard fumble return (Kris Brown kick), 3:11. Texans 21–0.
Top passers
HOU – David Carr – 13/19, 131 yards, TD, 2 INT
JAX – Byron Leftwich – 6/14, 35 yards, INT
Top rushers
HOU – Domanick Davis – 31 rushes, 158 yards, TD
JAX – Greg Jones – 9 rushes, 38 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Andre Johnson – 4 receptions, 46 yards, TD
JAX – Troy Edwards – 3 receptions, 24 yards :

#### Week 17: vs. Cleveland Browns

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Browns | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 22 |
| Texans | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: January 2, 2005
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 70,724
* Referee: Gerry Austin
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
CLE – Phil Dawson 45-yard field goal, 9:51. Browns 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards, 2:33.
HOU – Jonathan Wells 6-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 4:48. Texans 7–3. Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 4:48.
Second quarter
CLE – Phil Dawson 22-yard field goal, 11:28. Texans 7–6. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 4:31.
CLE – Phil Dawson 29-yard field goal, 2:00. Browns 9–7. Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 5:41.
Third quarter
CLE – Steve Heiden 9-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (Phil Dawson kick), 5:24. Browns 16–7. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 6:56.
Fourth quarter
CLE – Phil Dawson 45-yard field goal, 14:09. Browns 19–7. Drive: 4 plays, -3 yards, 1:24.
CLE – Phil Dawson 22-yard field goal, 4:01. Browns 22–7. Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 4:46.
HOU – Domanick Williams 1-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 1:23. Browns 22–14. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 2:27.
Top passers
CLE – Kelly Holcomb – 20/29, 228 yards, TD, 2 INT
HOU – David Carr – 15/25, 114 yards, TD
Top rushers
CLE – Lee Suggs – 26 rushes, 131 yards
HOU – Domanick Williams – 17 rushes, 103 yards, TD
Top receivers
CLE – Antonio Bryant – 7 receptions, 87 yards
HOU – Domanick Williams – 5 receptions, 42 yards :
Looking to secure their first non-losing season, the 7–8 Texans hosted the 3–12 Browns in the regular season finale of the 2004 season. Despite only committing one turnover, Houston's offense struggled and only gained 238 yards of total offense compared to Cleveland's 364. The Texans scored a touchdown with 1:23 left to trail 14–22 and attempted an onside kick, but it was recovered by the Browns who would run out the clock to win the game.

### Standings
#### Division

AFC South :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(3)}$ Indianapolis Colts | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 522 | 351 | L1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 6–6 | 261 | 280 | W1 |
| Houston Texans | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 309 | 339 | L1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 344 | 439 | W1 |

#### Conference

AFC
viewtalkedit :
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
| Division leaders ||||||||||||
| 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 5–1 | 11–1 | .484 | .479 | W14 |
| 2 | New England Patriots | East | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .492 | .478 | W2 |
| 3 | Indianapolis Colts | South | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .500 | .458 | L1 |
| 4 | San Diego Chargers | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .477 | .411 | W1 |
| Wild cards ||||||||||||
| 5 | New York Jets | East | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .523 | .406 | L2 |
| 6 | Denver Broncos | West | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .484 | .450 | W2 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason ||||||||||||
| 7 | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .527 | .479 | W1 |
| 8 | Baltimore Ravens | North | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .551 | .472 | W1 |
| 9 | Buffalo Bills | East | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .512 | .382 | L1 |
| 10 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .543 | .453 | W2 |
| 11 | Houston Texans | South | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .504 | .402 | L1 |
| 12 | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .551 | .509 | L1 |
| 13 | Oakland Raiders | West | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .570 | .450 | L2 |
| 14 | Tennessee Titans | South | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .512 | .463 | W1 |
| 15 | Miami Dolphins | East | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | .555 | .438 | L1 |
| 16 | Cleveland Browns | North | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .590 | .469 | W1 |
| Tiebreakers ||||||||||||
| 1 2 Indianapolis clinched the AFC #3 seed instead of San Diego based upon head-to-head victory. 1 2 New York Jets clinched the AFC #5 seed instead of Denver based upon better record against common opponents (New York Jets were 5–0 to Denver’s 3–2 against San Diego, Cincinnati, Houston, and Miami). 1 2 3 Jacksonville and Baltimore finished ahead of Buffalo because they each defeated Buffalo head-to-head. 1 2 Jacksonville finished ahead of Baltimore based upon better record against common opponents (Jacksonville were 3–2 against Baltimore’s 2–3 versus Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Kansas City). 1 2 Houston finished ahead of Kansas City based upon head-to-head victory. 1 2 Oakland finished ahead of Tennessee based upon head-to-head victory. 1 2 Miami finished ahead of Cleveland based upon head-to-head victory. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division. ||||||||||||

## Statistics
### Team

| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 32) |
| Passing offense | 3,246 | 202.9 | 18th |
| Rushing offense | 1,882 | 117.6 | 12th |
| Total offense | 5,128 | 320.5 | 18th |
| Passing defense | 3,615 | 225.9 | 24th |
| Rushing defense | 1,843 | 115.2 | 13th |
| Total defense | 5,458 | 341.1 | 23rd |

### Individual

| Category | Player | Total |
| Offense |||
| Passing yards | David Carr | 3,531 |
| Passing touchdowns | David Carr | 16 |
| Rushing yards | Domanick Williams | 1,188 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Domanick Williams | 13 |
| Receiving yards | Andre Johnson | 1,142 |
| Receiving touchdowns | Andre Johnson | 6 |
| Defense |||
| Tackles (Solo) | Jamie Sharper | 96 |
| Sacks | Kailee Wong | 5.5 |
| Interceptions | Dunta Robinson | 6 |
Source: