Falcons at Texans
THE STORY: So far, the revolving door under center has not derailed the Houston Texans' hopes of claiming their first AFC South title. They'll see if that holds true Sunday when rookie T.J. Yates makes his first start against an NFC playoff contender in the Atlanta Falcons in a key matchup at Reliant Stadium.
TV: FOX, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Falcons -1.5, O/U 38.5
ABOUT THE FALCONS (7-4): Atlanta has won five of six to stay within a game of NFC South leader New Orleans, and the Falcons are amidst a crowded wild-card race. The Falcons jumped out early on Minnesota last week and held on for a 24-14 win as QB Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes and improved to 20-0 when he has a rating over 100. Ryan and the passing game have a strong complement in RB Michael Turner, who has rushed for 948 yards, third most in the NFC.
ABOUT THE TEXANS (8-3): Houston has its best record at this point in the season in franchise history, but things have gone downhill quickly at the quarterback position. Starter Matt Schaub was lost for the season to a foot injury suffered two weeks ago, and his replacement, Matt Leinart, broke his collarbone in the first half last week. That means the Texans are likely to lean on Arian Foster and Ben Tate – the only running back duo in the league with more than 700 rushing yards apiece – and a surprisingly stiff defense that allows an NFL-best 268.4 yards per game.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Atlanta TE Tony Gonzalez needs one catch for an NFL-record 13th consecutive season with at least 60 receptions.
2. Ryan has won five straight starts against AFC teams. He has completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 1,393 yards with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions during the streak.
3. The Texans need three sacks to surpass the franchise record of 37 set in 2005. Rookie LB Brooks Reed has had at least one sack in five straight games.