Houston quarterback T.J. Yates found wide receiver Kevin Walter in the end zone for a six-yard score with just two seconds remaining to lead the Texans (10-3) past the Cincinnati Bengals (7-6) 20–19 Sunday afternoon.
The win clinches the first division title and subsequent playoff appearance in the 10-year history of the NFL’s youngest franchise.
Since joining the league in 2002, Houston had only finished once with a better-than .500 record once (9-7 in 2009) while failing to gain traction in a division previously dominated by Peyton Manning’s Colts. With Peyton sidelined, the Texans as well as the rest of the division have taken advantage of the situation in holding them winless thus far.
Meanwhile, the loss for Cincinnati puts them a game behind the New York Jets for the last playoff spot in the AFC.
