The Texans won't have Andre Johnson against the Jaguars on Sunday. Johnson will have arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle next week. He sprained the ankle in Week 2 and the injury has never healed. "The biggest thing was just being smart about the situation," Johnson said. "The best thing they felt was for me not to be out there to have something else bad happen, or me to re-injure the ankle, like I've been doing the whole season."

Wade Phillips has emerged as a candidate to become the defensive coordinator of the Texans next season, according to league sources. The sources indicated Wednesday that they are picking up signals that Gary Kubiak could end up keeping his job with the Texans despite. If Kubiak stays, Phillips would be his first choice to become the team's new coordinator.

A pair of Texans fans are planning a rally for Sunday to make the point that coach Gary Kubiak should be fired. Brad White and Scott Carter are hoping the demonstration before Sunday's season finale against the Jaguars will help convince team owner Bob McNair to change coaches. "I want to stress that I don't want people to come out to bash Kubiak," White told the Houston Chronicle. "We don't want vulgar signs out there. We're not there to bash him. We're there to say that we want a change."

Andre Johnson will be a game-time decision for Houston's game against Denver on Sunday. He is dealing with a worsening ankle injury. The wide receiver has had a high-ankle sprain since Week 2. Johnson is fourth in the NFL in receiving yards (1,216).

Andre Johnson has been playing through a high-ankle sprain since Week 2, but an MRI this week revealed that Houston's top receiver has suffered further damage. "I had the high ankle sprain and I was working on the front part of my ankle, and I got caught when I was down on the ground and got tackled in the Baltimore game (Dec. 13)," he said. "My joint kind of got jammed up a little bit, and it's affecting me in the back now, kind of like around the Achilles area. When I run now, I kind of feel more pain than I was feeling before. In the MRI, it just showed that. "We didn't think that it could get any worse, and it's gotten worse. Like I said, I'm just trying to do everything I can to make sure I can play on Sunday." Johnson has 86 catches for 1,216 yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games this season. It's his third-straight season with at least 1,200 yards and eight scores.

If coach Gary Kubiak is fired by the Texans, he would be at the top of Denver's list of coaching candidates, according to a report by Michael Lombardi of The NFL Network. The Broncos may also reach out to John Elway for a front-office position.

Texans defensive end Mario Williams has been playing with a sports hernia. Williams has been listed on Houston's injury report with a groin injury. "He's been battling through that all year long," coach Gary Kubiak said. "Obviously it's been bothering him, but he's been fighting through it. "I know it's bothering him, just watching him play (at Philadelphia), watching him try to fight through it. He had some injections on Wednesday in Philadelphia. Sometimes it takes a few days for those injections to kick in. "He's been doing all he can. We'll continue to treat him the same way we've been doing it, trying to bring him along to each game day. He's trying to give us everything he's got."