HOUSTON — Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was 4-5 as the Houston Texans’ starter when he was benched in favor of Ryan Mallett.

Entering the bye week, coach Bill O’Brien said he needed to find an “offensive spark” and found it in Mallett, who engineered a 23-7 victory at Cleveland before losing 22-13 at home to Cincinnati.

Because Mallett suffered a torn pectoral muscle against the Bengals and was placed on injured reserve, Fitzpatrick is returning to the starting lineup for Sunday’s game against Tennessee.

“Just going about my business like I always do in terms of preparing and getting myself ready, getting the guys ready, going out there in practice, trying to get better every day and showing up on Sundays,” he said about starting.

On Monday, Fitzpatrick compared returning to the lineup “like riding a bicycle.” Success and failure depends heavily on the strength of the opponent.

“A lot of it is about being the same guy every day and having confidence in yourself, preparing the same way and then doing it,” he said. “Staying steady is the biggest thing for a quarterback in this league with so many ups and downs throughout the year.”

Fitzpatrick will have one advantage Mallett didn’t have in his two starts: running back Arian Foster. After missing two games with a groin injury, he’ll play against the Titans.

Fitzpatrick and Foster led the 30-16 victory at Tennessee last month. Fitzpatrick threw for 227 yards and a touchdown without an interception. Foster carried 20 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns.

“The last (three) weeks have been interesting to take a step back and kind of watch the offense go,” Fitzpatrick said. “For me to go back out there is kind of like a second chance. Something was taken away from me, and I didn’t know if I’d get a chance to play again. (It’s) a renewed sense of excitement and energy.”

Fitzpatrick has an advantage Sunday in that he already has beaten the Titans once this season, and he played for them last season, including a victory over the Texans.

“I talked about it (familiarity) a little (before) the first matchup we had with them,” he said. “I think it’s a bit of a wash. It’s a new system, so it’s not a system that I saw day in and day out last year.

“In terms of the personnel, they know me just like I know them. And there’s plenty of film out there now, and I think it’s a wash in that regard. Any time you play a division opponent in that second game, there’s always going to be a few wrinkles you have to adjust and try to prepare for.”

When Fitzpatrick showed up for work Wednesday, some of his teammates didn’t recognized him. He had trimmed a big part of his beard and used shears on the side of his head.

“I’m kind of mad you guys (reporters) didn’t tell me I looked like that,” he said with a laugh. “I finally had some time to look in the mirror and thought it was disgusting.”

Fitzpatrick was asked if he thinks cutting his beard was like a fresh start for his return to the lineup.

“No, I think it was more me getting tired with having to pick corn out of it,” he said, smiling. “When I eat pancakes in the morning with the syrup, it would be there for days. My wife asks me, ‘Did you have pancakes this morning?’ ‘No, it was four days ago.’ No more of those questions, which will be good.”

–The Texans signed veteran quarterback Thad Lewis, who was 2-4 as a starter for Buffalo last season.

Mallett was placed on injured reserve and O’Brien said they he had not decided who will back up Fitzpatrick, but it could be Lewis rather than rookie Tom Savage.

“Whatever this team needs me to do, I’m willing to do it,” Lewis said. “I heard about Mallett’s injury, and, fortunately, I got the call. I was happy just to get another shot, another crack at it.

“Physically, I’m great. I never stopped training. I never stopped throwing. I went about my daily routine. I trained five days a week.

“He (O’Brien) just told me, ‘Hey, you were our top guy on the board. You have the experience. We want to bring you in, and hopefully you can grasp the system and do your best.’ That was encouraging.”

NOTES: RB Arian Foster returns to the lineup against the Titans. In the first game against them, he carried 20 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns. He also had four catches for 22 yards and a touchdown. Foster leads the NFL with 30 games of 100 yards over the last five seasons, despite missing half of last season with a back injury and three games this season with hamstring and groin injuries.