HOUSTON — The Houston Texans moved closer to clinching the AFC South by bouncing back from last week’s loss with a win over the Jets.

Now they’ll try to get banged-up players DeAndre Hopkins and Lamar Miller healthy before visiting the Super Bowl champion Eagles next week. With wins in its final two games against Philadelphia and Jacksonville, Houston would get a first-round playoff bye.

The Texans (10-4) have won nine of their last 10 games after opening the season 0-3 to give Coach Bill O’Brien 10 regular-season wins for the first time in his five years with the team. It’s the first time the Texans have had 10 wins in the regular season since setting a franchise-record with 12 in 2012.

“It’s great. I think 10 wins is hard to do in this league,” O’Brien said. “I give our players and our coaching staff a ton of credit. Our players have worked very hard to get to this point in the season. There is a long way to go here.”

Thanks to New England’s loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday, Houston currently holds the No. 2 seed in the AFC. The Texans also still have a chance to earn the No. 1 seed.

Houston led by 13 at halftime Saturday before the Jets rallied to take a 22-19 lead with 5:00 left. Deshaun Watson then connected with DeAndre Hopkins on a 14-yard touchdown to put the Texans on top, and they added a field goal after that to secure the 29-22 victory.

Hopkins injured his ankle in the fourth quarter and had to be helped off the field by teammates. But he returned after that and the injury doesn’t appear serious.

Miller could be more of a concern after he hurt his ankle in the first quarter and returned for a series in the second before sitting out for the rest of the game. O’Brien said he doesn’t think the injury is “major,” but that he’d know more next week.

WASHINGTON: Alex Smith is finally home from the hospital, his return to football still uncertain.

It’s still too soon to begin speculating about a timetable for football activities, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “He’s been through a lot,” that person said.

Smith sent a “thumbs up” message in a photo his wife posted on Instagram on Sunday morning. It shows the Washington quarterback sitting in front of a Christmas tree at their home, holding a team mug covered by a team lap blanket. Because of an infection that reportedly required multiple procedures, Smith, 34, spent more time in the hospital than anticipated after he suffered a gruesome leg injury during a game against the Houston Texans on Nov. 18. He broke the tibia and fibula in his right leg, and it was reported that the bone broke through the skin, which increases the risk of infection.

Last week, the team issued a statement after reports surfaced about the infection. The team on Dec. 6 described his injury as “serious” and asked that “everyone please honor the Smith family’s request for privacy at this time,” while providing no specifics on Smith’s situation.

Earlier in the week, a large group of players took a team bus to the hospital to visit him. “We all just assured him, ‘Hey, we’re praying for you, man,’ and wished him the best for him,” running back Adrian Peterson said. “That’s all we can do. ‘Hey, you’re not in the building, but we’re still thinking about you.'”

Smith’s contract is fully guaranteed for $71 million of the $94 million extension he signed last offseason. If he is unable to play next season because of injury, Washington would not receive any salary cap relief.

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