The Houston Texans enjoyed a successful debut in the playoffs, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10 at Reliant Stadium, and setting themselves up for a clash with the Baltimore Ravens in the next round. This was the Texans first appearance in the playoffs in their 10-year history, and fans are now eagerly awaiting the team’s trip to Baltimore next week to play the Ravens.

The Texans didn’t get off to the greatest start, with Glover Quin being called for pass interference on rookie wide receiver A. J. Green, which gave the Bengals 52 yards on a drive, culminating in Cedric Benson going for a touchdown from the 1-yard line. The Texans struck back quickly however, with Arian Foster moving the chains for Houston with a display of intelligent running, and the tailback finishing off the drive with a touchdown on an 8-yard run, leaving the Bengals and Texans all tied up at the end of the first quarter.

Despite retaking the lead momentarily through a field goal from Mike Nugent, the Bengals struggled with the well-tuned offense of the Texans, and couldn’t make any decisive plays on the defensive side of the ball. A field goal from Neil Rackers tied the game before rookie defensive end J. J. Watt showed great hands and athleticism by grabbing a pass thrown by Andy Dalton at the line of scrimmage, and returned it for a 29-yard touchdown.

Although close on the scoreboard, the Texans never looked to lose their lead, and soon began to add to it. Andre Johnson, who was also making his first appearance in the playoffs, caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from rookie T. J. Yates in the third quarter and extending their lead. This was just before Foster finished the game for the Texans with a 42-yard rushing touchdown, capping an excellent game for his team and himself.

The Texans will be pleased with how their offensive stars performed, Foster racking up 153 yards on just 24 carries, and Johnson registering 90 yards on five receptions, with the pair contributing three touchdowns between them. Yates also performed notably, if not spectacularly, but a game manager is all that is needed in this Texans offense, and Houston will need all three performing their best if the team is to beat the Ravens next week. They have already lost to them once this season.

This result brings the Bengals season to an end, but there is plenty to be optimistic about if you are a Cincinnati fan. The losing seasons and dressing room controversies seem done with, and the addition of rookies Green and Dalton give the franchise a great base to build around in the coming years. Throw into the mix that the Bengals have two first round picks this year, and two second round picks next year, the future looks very healthy indeed. Baltimore and Pittsburgh fans will need to keep an eye on the previously unsung franchise.

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The Cincinnati Bengals (7-6) let a fourth quarter lead over the Houston Texans (10-3) slip, and fell to a 20-19 loss, in what was a crucial AFC matchup with the playoffs beckoning.

After a first quarter that boasted no touchdowns, but did see the home side take the lead with two field goals to one, quarterback Andy Dalton bounced back from a tough game against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, by finding wide receiver Jerome Simpson with a 17-yard touchdown pass.

Mike Nugent then went on to add another field goal before halftime, giving the Bengals a 13 point lead heading into the third quarter. The Texans closed in on the Bengals with tight end Joel Dreessen collecting a 6-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback T. J. Yates, but conceded a field goal late in the third quarter, setting up Cincinnati with a nine point lead going into the fourth and final quarter.

A field goal early in the fourth quarter moved the Texans to within six points and made it a one possession game. With time running down, Yates showed a maturity which belied his status as a rookie, and moved the Texans down the field, eventually finding Kevin Walter for a 6-yard touchdown pass, and gave Houston the win thanks to a single point lead over the Bengals.

Cincinnati’s defense held strong for most of the game, with Rey Maualuga forcing two fumbles, and outside linebacker Thomas Howard connecting with nine solo tackles as he was a dominant force on defense.

Whilst Dalton may have been receiving the headlines so far this season as a potential Rookie of the Year, it was his opposite number who impressed today. Yates threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns, whilst also throwing one interception, as he led Houston admirably in the absence of Matt Schaub.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) kept pace with divisional rivals the Baltimore Ravens with an emphatic victory over the Cincinnati Bengals (7-5), effectively ending the Bengals’ hopes of winning the A.F.C. North.

The Bengals were still without key players Carlos Dunlap and Nate Clements for their important trip to Heinz Field, whilst the Steelers were boosted by the news that Troy Polamalu was able to play after fears he had suffered a concussion in their previous game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The first quarter ended scoreless as both teams failed to make anything happen concerning offense, and both defenses performed well, suffocating anything the opposition offense had to offer. Cincinnati came the closest to breaking the deadlock when Jermaine Gresham thought he collected a touchdown pass from Andy Dalton; however, the play was called back for a false start.

The Bengals then thought they had taken the lead when they successfully kicked a field goal a minute later, but again faced disappointment in the form of penalization for a delay of game, as well as the moment the Steelers blocked the subsequent kick.

The game exploded into life in the second quarter, however, with Rashard Mendenhall rapidly moving Pittsburgh into a 14-point lead with two rushing touchdowns, followed by Mike Wallace grabbing a 12-yard pass for the Steelers’ third touchdown in a span of just over four minutes.

The Bengals sparked hopes of a comeback when rookies Dalton and A. J. Green linked up for a 11-yard touchdown pass, but these hopes were soon extinguished when Antonio Brown ran in a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown just before the half, extending Pittsburgh’s lead back to 21 points.

Ben Roethlisberger wrapped up the scoring in the third quarter when he found Wallace for a 19-yard touchdown pass and the receivers’ second touchdown of the game. Roethlisberger went on to finish with 176 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions on his 23 attempted passes.

Another standout Steeler was defensive linchpin James Harrison, who looked quite the frightening form as he registered three sacks on the usually well-protected Dalton. Cornerback Ike Taylor was also in imperious form for Pittsburgh, putting in seven tackles as well as picking up an interception, as he helped the Steelers to a strong defensive performance.

The Bengals, who have enjoyed a good season, have now lost both their games against the Steelers and are unlikely to be able to challenge either the Steelers or the Ravens at the top of the A.F.C. North, but with outstanding youngsters like Dalton and Green, Head Coach Marvin Lewis can be optimistic about Cincinnati’s chances of upsetting those perennial power houses in one of the most competitive divisions of the N.F.L.

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