NFL Playoff Picture: Can Houston Texans Overcome Adversity in the Postseason?

The Houston Texans have suffered the kinds of injuries this season that would have crippled any other team. Starting the year with leading rusher Arian Foster hobbled with a hamstring injury, they lost their star wide receiver Andre Johnson in Week 4 with a hamstring injury of his own that has seen him on and off the field all season. They also lost outside linebacker Mario Williams in Week 5 with a torn pectoral.

Even more devastating has been the string of injuries at quarterback. The team lost starter Matt Schaub in Week 10 and, coming off of their bye week, lost backup Matt Leinart in Week 12.

Now, the Texans have turned to fifth-round rookie T.J. Yates to start under center, and Yates himself doesn't seem to be in perfect health, taking a big hit in Sunday's final regular season game against the Tennessee Titans and heading to the locker room.

Though the Texans are officially reporting that Yates suffered no injury and that they chose to put in backup Jake Delhomme for the rest of the game, with the Texans having clinched both a playoff spot and the AFC South title weeks ago, it does serve to bring into question just how well Houston will handle the postseason after their setback-defying regular season.

A great deal of credit has to be given to the Texans for their handling injury after injury to key starters, but at some point, their luck is going to run out. And, unfortunately for them, it will likely be in the playoffs.

While an inexperienced quarterback such as Yates can avoid being a liability for his team in the regular season, the playoffs are an entirely different animal. With the Texans likely to see the Cincinnati Bengals next week and, should they win, the Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round, they're going to need strong, consistent performances out of Yates in order to have any hopes of victory.

For a fifth-round draft pick with no initial hopes of starting, Yates hasn't been so bad. In his five starts and six games, Yates has completed 82 of his 132 pass attempts for 949 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, with three lost fumbles.

But that low touchdown production is going to harm his team in the coming weeks. Without being able to put up serious points in the air, the Texans are hobbled when it comes to trying to defeat the AFC's best teams. Their one hope, on offense, is their run game, headed up by Foster and fellow back Ben Tate.

However, opposing defenses are going to be more than aware that Foster and, to a lesser extent, Tate will be the focal points of Houston's offensive strategy in the postseason and will likely do all they can to stop the two from putting up a great deal of rushing yards.

With defenses like the Steelers, Bengals and the Ravens in the AFC playoffs this year, it's going to be hard for Houston to have much success in putting up points.

The Texans have defied odds all season long, that is certain, and at full health in 2012m they should be one of the conference's strongest teams. However, with so many important pieces missing from the field and a highly inexperienced quarterback under center, it's hard to see the Texans being anything but one-and-done in this year's NFL playoffs.