Bengals Vs. Texans, AFC Wild Card: Houston Defense Revving Up

The Houston Texans' defense had begun to turn the tide against the Cincinnati Bengals late in the first half of the two teams' AFC Wild Card meeting. On the first drive of the second half, it nearly swamped the Bengals.

After a first-down run for seven yards by Cedric Benson, a two-yard loss on second down and a penalty pushed the Bengals back to third and 10, and the raucous Houston crowd roared loud enough to force Andy Dalton to take a timeout.

Dalton's third down attempt was also insufficient, despite finding Brian Leonard out of the backfield. Leonard gained just six yards on the play, forcing a punt from Kevin Huber.

The score remains 17-10 in the Texans' favor.

For more on the Bengals, be sure to check out the SB Nation blog Cincy Jungle. For more on the Texans, head over to Battle Red Blog. Here's the complete 2012 NFL playoffs schedule.