Niners win; Texans do, too

SAN FRANCISCO — The Houston Texans had so much to lose if they won their season finale. They nearly did it anyway.

Instead, the San Francisco 49ers salvaged some pride in their own miserable season — and the Texans got on the clock for the NFL draft in April.

Mike Adams lateraled his second interception to Ben Emanuel for a 35-yard return in overtime, Joe Nedney kicked a 33-yard field goal with 3:52 left and the 49ers earned their first consecutive victories in more than two years with a 20-17 victory Sunday.

But after one last loss, fans of the Texans (2-14) might have felt like the real winners. Their franchise clinched the top pick and now has the chance to choose Reggie Bush, the Heisman Trophy-winning tailback from USC who's widely expected to enter the draft.

"Whatever happens in this game, it won't have any effect on me," Bush said in Los Angeles, where he's preparing for Wednesday's Rose Bowl against Texas. "Obviously it will just (affect) who gets the first pick in the NFL draft. . . . Like I said from Day 1, I won't be worried about it until after the season."

Both teams sometimes seemed determined to lose during a wacky afternoon that included a scoreless fourth quarter at rain-soaked Candlestick Park. Houston lost quarterback David Carr and top receiver Andre Johnson to injuries in the first half, then went scoreless for nearly 32 minutes to end the game.

Adams returned a third-quarter interception 40 yards for a tying touchdown for the 49ers (4-12), whose own No. 1 pick, Alex Smith, finally threw his first touchdown pass late in the first half.

Houston's Kris Brown missed a 31-yard field goal with 6:07 left in regulation, slicing it right in a stiff wind. The Niners then drove to the Houston 35 — where they inexplicably decided to punt with 50 seconds left instead of trying a long field goal by the strong-legged Nedney.

After three overtime punts, backup Houston quarterback Tony Banks' long pass was intercepted near midfield by Adams, who lateraled to Emanuel for a rambling return. Two plays later, Nedney capped his stellar season with one more field goal.

The game could have been a proper Bush Bowl, with the loser clinching the top pick, but San Francisco beat the St. Louis Rams last week. Instead, the Niners — an NFL-worst 2-14 in 2004 — finished with a two-game improvement in coach Mike Nolan's first season, though they also set a franchise record for the fewest offensive yards in a season. They won't even pick in the top five in April.