Can T.J. Yates Really Lead Houston Texans to an AFC Title?

Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates and the Houston Texans are currently in position to claim a first-round bye in the AFC and are looking to make some noise in the postseason. 

Yates, a rookie fifth-round draft pick out of North Carolina, has been handed the keys to the car and head coach Gary Kubiak will ask him to just not hit anything when he drives. 

The former Tar Heel is just not going to be the guy that will lead Houston to an AFC title. 

He does not have the experience or the raw talent to be the type of playmaker that takes an offense to the next level. 

Yates just has to make sure he takes care of the football and makes the smart throws when he is asked to drop back and pass. 

And he is just good enough to do that. 

Against the Atlanta Falcons, we saw Kubiak give Yates a few chances to make passes down the field, and the rookie did throw some nice passes. 

However, most if not all of those plays were set up because the effectiveness of the running game. 

For the most part, we saw Yates dumping the ball off on short passes and being safe and smart with his throws. 

The bottom line is, this offense is only going to be as effective as Arian Foster and Ben Tate. 

If the running game cannot move the ball on early downs, then the offense will struggle. 

The good news for Houston is that their offense does not have to be elite if they want to win. 

The defense is going to be what will lead this team to an AFC title. 

They have proved, week in and week out, that they are legit and are a top three defense in the NFL; if not just the best. 

The Texans' defense will have to keep the game under control. They cannot let up the big play and let the other team turn the game into a shootout. 

The only thing for Houston is that they will be playing against other elite defenses in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cincinnati and New York.

It looks like the AFC will be won in Alabama-LSU snorefest fashion.

The only question is, can Houston keep the game boring enough to win?