Torn pectoral muscle will end Mallett's season

When Ryan Mallett's teammates found out he had suffered a torn pectoral muscle in Sunday's 22-13 loss to Cincinnati, they lined up to praise his toughness.

"That's a pretty significant injury, and for him to push through something like that says a lot about him as a player and as a person," inside linebacker Brian Cushing said. "He's a tough kid. It's unfortunate. He showed a lot of guts."

Mallett is out for the season, according to several people familiar with the quarterback situation. He'll be replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick in the starting lineup against Tennessee.

Mallett will be placed on injured reserve and replaced on the roster by veteran Thaddeus Lewis, who played for coach Bill O'Brien at Duke.

O'Brien declined to discuss Mallett and the quarterback situation on Monday.

"He's still being evaluated," O'Brien said. "I'll have more to report by the end of the week."

Quite a difference

After throwing two touchdown passes and leading the Texans to a 23-7 victory at Cleveland in the first start of his four-year career, Mallett struggled from the beginning of the Cincinnati game.

Mallett wasn't the same quarterback against the Bengals. Most of his passes were off-target. He finished 21-of-45 for 189 yards with one interception.

"On the last two drives, just saw him kind of grimacing in pain a little after a couple of throws," left tackle Duane Brown said. "I didn't know exactly what was going on or the extent of it.

"He's tough, man. He didn't back down at all. He didn't ease up at all. He showed his fight to even try to get a score on that last drive. That's the kind of player he is and the kind of person he is. He wants to win. He wants to compete. We really respect that."

Receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who had five catches, noticed something wasn't right with Mallett.

"I did, but I didn't have any idea about how serious it was until after the game," Hopkins said. "Him playing through that speaks a lot about his toughness."

Hopkins was asked if he thought Mallett should have taken himself out of the game because of his injury.

"We had a chance to win the game," Hopkins said. "We were never out of it with him in the game. I don't feel like it was a negative situation.

"It was his second start. He wanted to win. You could see it in his eyes. He never showed us he was hurt, and he never let down on the sideline. He was the same Ryan."

Mallett, who will undergo surgery, is in the last year of his contract. The injury ruined what could have been a great opportunity for him - to play well and lead the Texans to more victories, convincing them he was worthy of a long-term contract.

"You could just tell how excited he was to be able to get his first start on the road in a big game, come out with the win, get his second start at home in a pretty significant game for us," Brown said. "It sucks, and I definitely feel for him.

"Fitz isn't a stranger to the starting lineup or playing in big games. We have all the confidence in the world in him if he's under center."

Fitzpatrick, who was 4-5 as the starter with a career-best 87.1 rating, said he hadn't heard anything about replacing Mallett but that he'd be ready if necessary.

"I think it's like riding a bike," Fitzpatrick said about a possible return to the lineup. "That's what being a quarterback is. That's what kind of my whole career has been."

Savage to keep sitting

Rookie Tom Savage, a fourth-round pick, is on the roster behind Fitzpatrick. He's not likely to play unless the Texans are out of the playoffs near the end of the season.

Lewis, 27, will be added. He played in six games for Buffalo last season, throwing for 1,296 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions with an 82.2 rating.

O'Brien would not have gone after Lewis if the quarterback didn't receive a good endorsement from Bills coach Doug Marrone. O'Brien and Marrone have been best friends for 20 years.