The Houston Texans won a defensive showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, riding four Shayne Graham field goals to a 19-13 victory in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs. The Texans held Cincinnati to just 48 plays from scrimmage and 198 yards of offense, and the Bengals failed to convert a third down. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton went just 14-of-30 passing for 127 yards and an interception. J.J. Watt recorded a sack, two tackles for loss, two pass deflections, and two hits on Dalton.
Bengals vs. Texans, 2013 NFL Playoffs: Houston defense came up huge against Cincinnati
The Houston Texans rode their defense and ground attack to a playoff victory Saturday, according to Battle Red Blog.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The pre-game talk was about the lack of momentum, the pressure getting to the Texans, and how this team did not look like the Houston Texans over the past month. On this day, the defense created a lot of chaos for Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton and the much-maligned offensive line helped open holes for Foster to the tune of 4.4 yards per rush.
Houston quarterback Matt Schaub was excellent in his first postseason start, going 29-of-38 for 262 yards and an interception. Tight end Owen Daniels caught nine of those passes, for 91 yards. However, as usual, the Houston offense centered around halfback Arian Foster, who ran 32 times for 140 yards and the Texans' only touchdown:
Despite a Leon Hall pick-six, Houston quarterback Matt Schaub got through his first postseason game relatively okay. He did not take any sacks, or big hits, completed 76.3-percent of his passes, and threw for 262 yards.
Houston advances to the divisional round in New England next weekend.
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