Bengals vs. Texans: Houston's Mighty Defense Will Wreak Havoc on Cincinnati

The Houston Texans will ride their top five defense to an impressive win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the two teams' AFC Wild Card Round matchup on Saturday night (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC) at Reliant Stadium.

The injury-plagued Texans' surprising season has been made possible by their dominant defensive unit, which ranks third and fourth against the pass and run, respectively.

Although Houston has fallen on hard times as of late, losing three straight to end the regular season after clinching the AFC South crown in Week 14 with a win over—who else?—the Cincinnati Bengals, the Texans D has not been the sole perpetrator.

Scoring has been a problem for Houston in the last month or so of the season without boasting a fully healthy line up across the board. Superstar skill players Andre Johnson and Arian Foster have been nicked up all year while starting and backup quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart both gave way to year-ending injuries in midseason. Rookie T.J. Yates is calling the signals now.

For the Bengals' offense, this season has been less than stellar. Cincinnati ranks 20th and 19th in pass and rush offense, respectively. The shaky output resulted in a 3-5 record over the second half of the season and the AFC's final wild-card berth rather than a division title. 

And although Houston sports their own rookie quarterback in T.J. Yates, Cincinnati will likely place rookie Andy Dalton under fire this postseason. Dalton has far exceeded first-year expectations however he is probable for the elimination contest because of an illness. 

Even if 100 percent, he's inexperienced and facing a much more stout D in the Texans'.

Dalton's 20 touchdowns to just 13 interceptions have made Carson Palmer an afterthought in Ohio, but Dalton's praise will be short-lived when the Bengals postseason ends early. 

Dalton's numbers were average against Houston the first time around, 16-of-28 for 189 yards and a touchdown. That same effort will likely result in a Texans win at home Saturday night. The crowd will be raucous and the defense will show up like it has all year. 

Houston's stoppers have been the most consistent unit in the NFL this season, and that bodes well for the playoff newcomers.