JACKSONVILLE – The Texans might have lost a starting quarterback to a season-ending injury for the second consecutive week.
Matt Leinart, making his first start in place of Matt Schaub, was knocked out of Sunday's game with a left collarbone injury in the second quarter. He did not return and could be done for the season, which would leave rookie T.J. Yates as the Texans' starter.
"I think it's a pretty strong possibility I probably won't be coming back this season," Leinart said after the game, visibly dejected and wearing a sling on his left arm. "We'll just see what the doctors say and kind of move forward. It's pretty disappointing, tough to swallow, but I've just got to move forward."
Leinart got X-rays at EverBank Field, but Texans coach Gary Kubiak said he didn't think they were clear enough to read and that nothing was determined on Leinart's status.
"I know he's very disappointed," Kubiak said. "We'll keep our fingers crossed until we get home."
Jaguars defensive end Jeremy Mincey Mincey (6-3, 270) knocked down Leinart on an incomplete pass with 1:45 left in the second quarter. Leinart came down hard on his throwing shoulder. He said it felt similar to the season-ending broken collarbone he suffered in 2007 with the Arizona Cardinals, which effectively ended his last stint as a starter.
Leinart finished 10-of-13 for 57 yards and a touchdown with a passer rating of 110.1. He threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Joel Dreessen in the second quarter that put the Texans up 14-10.
"It was exciting just to have fun playing again," Leinart said. "It was an ultimate high to the ultimate low within a matter of minutes. It's the nature of the game. I'll move forward, and (it was) a great win for us today, a great team win. We all have the utmost confidence in the world in T.J. go get the job done; that's why he's here. But it hurts pretty bad."
Yates, a fifth-round pick from North Carolina, made his NFL debut on Sunday after Leinart's injury. After being inactive for the first 10 games of the season, he went 8-of-15 for 70 yards against the Jaguars.
Because recently-signed quarterback Kellen Clemens was inactive, tight end Owen Daniels became the Texans' backup behind Yates. Daniels last played quarterback as a redshirt freshman at Wisconsin.
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