Bengals vs. Texans: Which Players Must Step Up to Lead Houston to Victory?

The Houston Texans enter Saturday's game with the Cincinnati Bengals as a minor favorite but by all accounts it's going to be a very competitive game. Here are three players that will need to have big afternoons to put the Texans over the top.

T.J. Yates

Houston has dealt with injuries to both quarterbacks ahead of Yates on the depth chart—Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart—which has left Yates to guide the previously high-powered offense. The production has dropped since he took over, but the Texans still managed to make the playoffs.

They will lean heavily on the running back duo of Arian Foster and Ben Tate as a way to generate offense. That means Yates' main goal is to avoid momentum-shifting turnovers. Since this game is unlikely to be a shootout, every possession is vital.

Yates should have Andre Johnson as close to full strength as he's been in awhile, which should help his cause. The coaching staff will certainly be preaching smart, safe throws.

Danieal Manning

Even though Manning has played solid at safety for most of the season, that's not the reason he's on the list. Manning's listed because he is also Houston's kick returner and special teams becomes especially important in the postseason.

He's averaging more than 27 yards per return on the season. All it takes is for him to break off one monster return to turn the tide in the Texans' favor. In today's NFL, with most kickoffs reaching the end zone, those have become less likely, though.

If he's unable to take one to the house, he needs to at least ensure the Texans maintain in control of the field position battle. Every little bit helps in games like this one.

Connor Barwin

Barwin totaled 11.5 sacks during the regular season, but four of them came in one game and that makes his performance in the other 15 games more mundane. Since he's not a dominant run stopper, Barwin needs to get pressure on Andy Dalton to be effective.

Cincinnati's rookie quarterback was only sacked 24 times. That's a major reason his transition to the NFL was so successful. The Texans need to ensure he feels the heat on Saturday because he'll surely enter his first playoff game with some jitters.

If Barwin can make his presence known early in the game, it could lead to some mistakes by Dalton. That would be a huge boost to Houston's chances of advancing to the divisional round.