AFC's top teams in action on Sunday

Four AFC teams enter Week 13 of the season with eight wins, and they'll continue to jockey for first-round byes in the playoffs this week on four fronts � including in Houston, where the Texans will host the Falcons on Sunday (1:00pm ET, FOX).

Houston, though, lost another quarterback over the weekend, with Matt Leinart (collarbone) joining Matt Schaub (foot) on the sidelines. Both of those QBs are expected to miss the rest of the season, leaving rookie T.J. Yates as the starter and veteran Kellen Clemens as the backup with still five weeks to go in the season.

Yates had to replace Leinart midway through the Texans' game in Jacksonville over the weekend, and he went 8 of 15 for 70 yards passing with no touchdowns and no interceptions while the team held on to win by a score of 20-13. That was Yates' first taste of NFL action, and he got to face one of the AFC's worst teams.

On Sunday, though, he'll be up against a 7-4 Falcons team that is in the thick of the playoff hunt in the NFC. Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes in Atlanta's
24-14 home win over the Vikings on Sunday, while Roddy White had 10 catches for 120 yards and a score. Michael Turner rushed for 60 yards on his 19 carries.

As for Houston's running game, Arian Foster rushed for just 65 yards (plus a touchdown) on 22 carries against the Jaguars, and Ben Tate ran for 26 yards on five carries. Look for that duo to get more work this week to help out the rookie QB.

The Texans have been a lucrative betting option so far this season at 8-3 against the spread, while the Falcons have disappointed their supporters at 4-5-2 ATS through 11 games. Those teams last met back in September 2007 in Atlanta, with the Falcons pulling out a 26-16 home win as a 2.5-point underdog on the lines.

Along with Houston, the other three 8-3 teams in the AFC heading into this week's action are the Patriots, Ravens, and Steelers, with New England seemingly having the easiest path to nine victories as they're at home to the 0-11 Indianapolis Colts on Sunday afternoon (1:00pm ET, CBS).

New England (7-4 ATS) blasted the Eagles 38-20 in Philadelphia over the weekend, and they'll be huge favorites at home against the Colts at Oddsmaker for this week. Indianapolis is coming off a 27-19 home loss to the Panthers on Sunday, and they're just 2-9 against the spread through their 11 games this year.

The Ravens (6-4-1 ATS) will be on the road against the 4-7 Browns (4-5-2 ATS) on Sunday (4:05pm ET, CBS), while the Steelers (5-6 ATS) could have their hands full at home against the 7-4 Bengals (7-3-1 ATS) on Sunday (1:00pm ET, CBS).

The Ravens and Steelers are tied for first place in the AFC North standings, with the Bengals just one game back of those division leaders. Cincinnati will be looking to upset the Steelers on the road this week to strengthen their bid for an AFC playoff berth. Get your lines for Sunday's NFL betting action today at Oddsmaker.