Houston vs. Cincinnati: 4 Key Stats for Texans

OK, world, the jig is up.  It's time to stop doubting the Texans. 

As well as Houston has fared in the face of adversity, it would be folly to sleep on a Bengals team that has dealt with a fair share of its own.  

T.J. Yates still needs to prove himself, but the Texans are playing competitive football notwithstanding.

These four stats tell the story for Houston in the first half: 

44: The longest run of Ben Tate's career

Props to Ben Tate for achieving a cosmically appropriate distance for his longest run ever. No. 44 ran 44 yards on that play, setting up the Texans' first points of the game. Cincinnati's underrated defense has proved stingy, allowing Houston's offense little else up to this point.

With Yates looking a little shaky, the onus is on Foster and Tate to spark the offense.

Zero percent: Houston's red-zone percentage

The unfortunate thing about "props" is that fans are legally permitted to revoke them for any egregious offense the recipient may commit. That's bad news for Ben Tate.

His first-half fumble is looming large at the moment, as the Texans squandered their one golden touchdown opportunity of the first half. Who knows how many more chances they'll have? Houston must capitalize on these kinds of scoring chances with a rookie quarterback at the helm.

Three: The number of completions to wide receivers 

You can't be too tough on T.J. Yates. Not only was he thrown into the fire before fans could reasonably expect him to be able to handle the pressure, but he also lacks his No. 1 target.

Without Andre Johnson, he's had to rely on his tight ends and his backs to drive the passing game, and the stats show it. Owen Daniels may be the key to victory when this is all said and done.

92: The number of rushing yards allowed 

The vaunted Texans defense has had a hard time stopping Cedric Benson, whose runs are responsible for setting up multiple scoring chances for the Bengals.

Houston needs to stop the rushing attack and force Andy Dalton to beat them through the air. Otherwise, it may be a long final 30 minutes for the Texans.