Houston, TX -- (Sports Network) - Matt Schaub threw for 328 yards and two scores on 27-of-36 passes, as the Houston Texans eliminated Chicago from playoff contention with a 31-24 win over the Bears.

Chicago (9-7) could have clinched the NFC North title with a win and a Minnesota loss, but the Vikings beat the New York Giants, 20-19, on Sunday to claim the divisional playoff berth. The Bears also would have needed to win to clinch a wild card bid, but missed out on the postseason for the second consecutive season.

"It was a disappointing end to the season," Bears head coach Lovie Smith said. "When you finish 9-7, you're close and that is what 9-7 is saying: you're close. We will just evaluate where we are right now and go from there."

Andre Johnson finished with 10 catches for 148 yards and a pair of scores for the Texans (8-8), who finished with a .500 record for the second consecutive season. Johnson also finished the year as the NFL leader in receptions and receiving yardage, with 115 catches and 1,575 yards.

Steve Slaton had 20 carries for 92 yards and one TD, while Ryan Moats added a running score for Houston, which ended the season by winning five of its final six games.

"This day, this year we are a better team than we were on this day last year," Schaub said. "It's about now taking the next step this offseason going into the '09 season, getting better and finding a way to get a couple more of those wins that we fell short on."

Kyle Orton completed 22-of-37 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns for Chicago, which had a three-game win streak snapped. Orton also ran for a score, while Devin Hester had six catches for 85 yards for the Bears. Brandon Lloyd and Greg Olsen each recorded a touchdown catch in the loss.

"Every game it's the same (mistakes) happening," Bears defensive end Alex Brown said. "It's just a repeat...Why we can't correct it, I have no idea, but we damn sure have a lot of time to think about it now."

Moats' two-yard touchdown run capped a nine-play, 72-yard drive for Houston early in the third quarter that put the Texans in front 21-10.

The Bears, though, responded with their own score. Facing a second down in Texans territory, Orton aired out a long pass for Hester, who made a leaping catch between two Houston defenders and came down at the one-yard line. The 37-yard gain set up Orton's short pass to Olsen in the end zone to bring Chicago within 21-17.

The score remained that way heading into the fourth, but Kris Brown's 22-yard field goal a little more than three minutes into the final quarter gave Houston a seven-point lead.

Chicago got onto the Texans' side of the field on the next series, but had to punt, leading to a back-breaking touchdown from Houston.

The Texans started at their own 11, but Slaton helped them escape after taking a dump-off pass from a scrambling Schaub and turning it into an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, Slaton found a hole in the left side of the line and burst upfield for 47 yards, getting to the Chicago 29.

Slaton ran for a touchdown on the next play, but the score was nullified on a holding penalty. The Bears caught another break on the next play, when Slaton fumbled and Chicago's Danieal Manning recovered.

But Houston challenged the fumble call, and got it overturned to retain possession. The Texans still had to convert a long yardage situation, but on 3rd-and-14 benefited from a holding penalty against Chicago to gain a first down at the Bears 14.

Slaton ran four more times, the final carry going two yards into the end zone to make it a 31-17 Texans lead with 3:24 on the clock.

Chicago hurried on its next drive, and Orton capped the 11-play, 72-yard series with a one-yard scoring run. A five-yard burst by Slaton gave Houston a first down with 1:12 left, when the Bears used their final timeout, and the Texans ran out the clock from there.

Orton's four-yard pass to Lloyd gave Chicago a 7-0 lead with 5:57 left in the first quarter, and Robbie Gould drilled a 37-yard field goal later in the stanza to put the Bears up by 10, though the Texans took command in the second quarter.

Schaub and Johnson connected on a 43-yard scoring strike with a little under six minutes remaining until halftime, and after Manning fumbled the ball on the following kickoff, Schaub found Johnson again, from three yards out, to give the Texans a 14-10 lead at halftime.

Game Notes

Texans defensive end Mario Williams, who had one sack, left the game early in the third quarter...Schaub reached the 3,000-yard plateau for the first time in his career, finishing with 3,043 for the season...Matt Forte had 13 rushes for 50 yards for the Bears.