Arian Foster rushed for 111 yards and the winning touchdown and rookie quarterback T.J. Yates won in his first NFL start as the Houston Texans continued to win despite a revolving door under center, beating the visiting Atlanta Falcons 17-10 on Sunday at Reliant Stadium.

The Falcons (7-5) drove inside the Texans' 30 in the final minute, but two shots into the end zone fell incomplete on the final two plays.

The Texans (9-3) continue to stay in control of the AFC South race despite losing starting quarterback Matt Schaub to a season-ending foot injury two weeks ago and putting his replacement, Matt Leinart, on injured reserve with a broken collarbone last week.

Yates, a former North Carolina player, became the first Tar Heel to start at quarterback in NFL history, and he made his first start a memorable one. He completed only 12 of 25 passes for 188 yards but tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Joel Dreessen in the second quarter and did not throw an interception.

The Falcons (7-5) lost for only the second time in seven games, dealing a blow to their hopes of catching NFC South leader New Orleans and damaging their chances of earning a wild card.

Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez had seven catches for 100 yards, giving him an NFL-record 13 consecutive seasons with 60 or more catches.

Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson, playing in only his second game since missing seven games with a hamstring injury, had four catches for 97 yards but left in the second half with an apparent hamstring injury.

The loss snapped a streak of five consecutive wins against AFC teams for Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who threw a pair of first-half interceptions.