Rookie QBs take the spotlight

Associated Press

HOUSTON

Andy Dalton and T.J. Yates weren’t around for any of the miserable seasons the Bengals and Texans have had over the past two decades.

And that’s quite a few.

The rookie quarterbacks now control which of the long-suffering franchises gets a milestone victory when the teams open the playoffs on Saturday. They’ll make some NFL history no matter who wins — it’s the first time two rookie starters will face off in a postseason game.

“It shows how much the game has changed in these days,” said Yates, who’ll make his sixth career start. “My situation is obviously a lot different than Andy’s. He was drafted there to be the starter and unfortunate circumstances here in Houston led to me being the one playing.

“But you’ve just got to take advantage of every opportunity you get,” he said, “and it’s pretty cool to be a part of it.”

The Bengals (9-7) are back in the postseason for the third time in seven seasons, but they haven’t advanced in 20 years.

The 10-year-old Texans (10-6) are making their postseason debut, and will end the longest playoff drought of any expansion team from its inception into the league.

“This game can’t come soon enough,” Houston linebacker Brian Cushing said. “The atmosphere is going to be wild.”