Jan 5, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) on the bench against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter of the AFC Wild Card playoff game at Reliant Stadium. The Texans defeated the Bengals 19-13. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Well, my fingernails are in a pile. My knuckles are red from grinding them against each other. And the television has been turned off until I can cope with my depression.

Did I mention my spirits were crushed?

A message to my readers: In advance, this article took a lot of willpower to write.

As Matt Schaub took the final kneel in Bengals territory, the 19-13 Houston victory was set in stone.

Ultimately, the game was a test of how long the Bengals defense could hold out against Arian Foster and the play-action attack of Houston’s offense. The Bengals stout defense showed grit as they protected their end zone, forcing three field goal in the red zone.

It could only last for so long. Most of the second half was spent in attempts to battle back from a two-score deficit.

Andy Dalton finished the first half with -6 passing yards. Yes, I typed that correctly.

The Houston secondary was relentless, especially early on in the game. Dalton had constant trouble as he tried to locate any open receivers downfield. Glover Quin and Jonathan Joseph made sure of that.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis gained 63 yards on eleven carries, and A.J. Green caught five passes for a total of 80 yards (all in the second half).

However, that was pretty much the extent of the Bengals offense. Dalton finished 14-for-30 for 127 yards and an interception that lead to the Texans lone touchdown of the game.

Believe me, I’d love to stop now. I know that Bengals fans reading this are only reliving the pain they felt during the game. As I write, Shattered by O.A.R. is playing from a shuffled play-list. The lyric “How many times can I break till I shatter?” is playing in the chorus now. How perfect.

Leon Hall would have to get the game ball for Cincinnati, as he returned an interception 21 yards for a touchdown in the first half. It marked the second time he had jumped a route and scored a pic-six in three weeks. The other one helped the Bengals’ earn a playoff berth against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The defensive touchdown accounted for over half of the Bengals total points on the scoreboard, as just two field goals by Josh Brown would be added over the game’s duration.

In the end, the loss will be an obstacle the Bengals will have to hurdle, as they have had a season to remember. Good teams are everywhere, but to overcome the toughest losses will only make a team better going forward. Next year will come sooner than we think.

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Both teams run a similarly traditional West Coast offense with a zone-based running game and coverage-based pass schemes designed to isolate defenders. The Texans offense especially is designed to punish defenders for neglecting their assignments and becoming overly aggressive.

Last week against the Colts, the Arian Foster ripped off a cutback on a stretch zone run to take advantage of the same kind of over-aggressiveness that the Bengals have a tendency to display when the defense becomes frustrated.

Although the backside defensive end is trying to maintain outside leverage against the Texans’ highly underrated left tackle, Duane Brown, the team aggressively pursues to the attack point of the zone run. By chasing down Foster and neglecting to stay within their gap assignments, the Colts opened up a large amount of open room for Foster to find a cutback lane. With his explosiveness, Foster will always punish a defense in this situation.

On this play from last year’s matchup, Geno Atkins demonstrates the best formula to disrupt Foster and the zone running game. Atkins has stood up center Scott Wells completely at this point and is dominating the battle of leverage. This disrupts Foster and does not allow him to let the blocking develop a lane for him to run. Atkins forces the decision prematurely and is able to drop Foster for a loss.

Dec 30, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap (96) holds the ball after scoring during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals defeated the Ravens 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

In the impending rematch between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Houston Texans, both teams will look to control many aspects of the game, especially those that they have done best in all season.

Let’s take a look at where each team has excelled during the 2012 regular season. We’ll also see which team is more proficient in each category of the game.

Let’s start with the offense.

In Cincinnati’s passing game, quarterback Andy Dalton has started all sixteen games. He has passed for 3,669 yards, and has 27 touchdowns to 16 interceptions. That has led to a season Quarterback Rating of 87.4.

In Houston’s passing game, quarterback Matt Schaub has started fifteen of sixteen games this season. He has passed for 4,008 yards, and has 22 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions. That leads to a 90.7 Quarterback Rating.

Both quarterbacks have had less-than-stellar performances during the last three weeks. However, the advantage in the air attack goes to Houston, as Schaub has been more limited in committing turnovers this year.

In the Bengals running game, BenJarvus Green-Ellis is trying to return to full strength off of a hamstring injury  He had gained over 100 yards on the ground in four of his six previous games for Cincinnati. That is despite his mediocre 14 yards against Pittsburgh in Week 16.

Arian Foster is the well-known running back for the Texans, followed by Ben Tate to bring a very dangerous tandem on the ground. Foster is the workhorse for Houston, and will have a huge impact on the winner in this game.

The advantage in this matchup has to go to the Texans, as their running duo has the capability to carry the offense unlike that of any other team. Well, except for Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings.