Yates, long drive keeps Texans streaking

When Gary Kubiak issued his weekly quarterback quiz on Saturday night, T.J. Yates gave a gold-star performance. The prepared rookie third-string quarterback helped propel Houston to a 17-10 win against Atlanta, a team that came to Reliant Stadium with wins in five of its past six games. The quarterbacks have changed, from Matt Schaub to Matt Leinart to Yates, but the Texans' results have stayed the same. The win was their sixth in a row and kept them entrenched as the favorite to win the AFC South and in line to capture one of the conference’s top seeds. Yates threw for 188 yards and a touchdown, posting an 86.8 passer rating and displaying calm, moxie and mobility. After Andre Johnson dropped a great pass, Yates went back to the well-covered star, who muscled a 50-yard reception away from the defender. When John Abraham flew past Winston and buried Yates with a quick, hard sack, the quarterback bounced up quickly to make it clear he wasn’t hurt and wasn't going to flinch. For all the home team’s good work, the Falcons pulled even at 10-10 late in the third quarter and it looked like the game might turn their direction. But the Texans responded with a massive drive: 19 plays that covered 85 yards, ate up 10 minutes and 41 seconds, and provided the winning margin. Kubiak called for an Arian Foster run on a fourth-and-1 from the Atlanta 9-yard line, reasoning he had just the right play and it was going to take more than a field goal to win. Foster gained 7, and was in the end zone two plays later. That drive’s big plays were a 13-yard run by Ben Tate, a 12-yard run by Foster and a 12-yard catch by Kevin Walter.