Week 15 NFL Power Rankings: Optimism In Yates' Grows After Last-Second Comeback

Every NFL quarterback is judged by their ability to run the two-minute drill: 80 yards to go, 2:00 minutes left and no timeouts. 

On Sunday, against one of the best teams he'll face during the rest of the regular season, rookie QB T.J. Yates pulled it off, driving the Houston Texans down the length of the field and finding Kevin Walter streaking across the middle with seconds left for a 20-19 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

As a result, the 10-3 Texans clinched the first playoff berth in franchise history and stayed at No. 7 in SBNation's latest batch of NFL Power Rankings:

7. Houston Texans (10-3, LW: 7): Well, I'm officially impressed with the Texans. That's another victory for T.J. Yates, the rookie QB replacing Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart. Right now I have them and San Francisco at the top of the second tier teams.

Now, with a home game against the 4-9 Carolina Panthers and a road game against the winless Indianapolis Colts on the schedule, the question moves from whether or not Houston can make the playoffs to whether they can get a first-round bye in the playoffs.

For the most up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Texans anywhere, head on over to Battle Red Blog.