Brock Osweiler will start at quarterback for the Texans in Saturday's Wild Card playoff against the Raiders.
Head coach Bill O'Brien told the media about the decision during a Tuesday press conference.
"I thought Brock did some really good things on Sunday with his teammates," O'Brien said. "He almost brought us all the way back. He did a nice job and we have a lot of confidence in him that he's going to go out there and play well on Saturday."
Osweiler came on in relief of Tom Savage last Sunday and completed 21-of-40 passes for 253 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also ran for a 1-yard score in the fourth quarter of the 24-17 loss to the Titans.
Savage left the game early in the second quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. He returned and took a knee as time expired in the first half, but was re-evaluated for a concussion at the intermission and ruled out for the game. He remains in the concussion protocol. If Savage were to clear the protocol before Saturday, he'd backup Osweiler. If he's unable to clear the protocol, O'Brien said DeAndre Hopkins will be the backup.
Osweiler guided the Texans on a trio of scoring drives in the second half. O'Brien said he thinks the time Osweiler spent over the past two weeks backing up Savage was beneficial.
"When you do become the backup, you're able to observe a lot more," O'Brien said. "You're able to observe in practice. In the games, in the meetings, and I think it helped him."
In 14 starts this season, he completed 59 percent of his passes for 2,957 yards, with 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
Left tackle Duane Brown said Osweiler looked good on Sunday in Nashville when he came on in relief of Savage.
"I thought he played loose," Brown said on Tuesday. "I thought he communicated well, recognizing the front, getting us into the right plays. He made some good throws."
The Texans will have a "jog-through" type of practice on Tuesday, and more of a normal type of practice on Wednesday and Thursday.Â
Kickoff with the Raiders is set for 3:35 p.m. CT on Saturday inside NRG Stadium.
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