The Texans defeated Cincinnati 12-10 to win the AFC South in just about the ugliest fashion imaginable, but coach Bill O'Brien and his players will take old ugly over old nothing any day of the week.

Another outstanding performance by the NFL's No. 1 defense and an excellent effort by the special teams overcame another offensive meltdown, but ultimately, the Texans pulled out a victory to win the AFC South for the second consecutive season and the fourth time in six years.

"It doesn't always look pretty, but we're 9-6 and 5-0 in the division," O'Brien said. "To be AFC South champions for two years in a row is a heck of an accomplishment. This team fights through a lot of adversity, and I'm proud of them."

This game wasn't decided until former Texans kicker Randy Bullock missed a 43-yard field goal with no time remaining, and the Texans and their fans celebrated wildly. They probably felt an overwhelming sense of relief considering how close they came to losing.

The Texans surrendered 294 yards, including 60 rushing, and they sacked Andy Dalton three times – two by Whitney Mercilus.

More Information McClain's breakdown John McClain analyzes the Texans' win vs. the Bengals.

Read More

Dalton finished with 28-of-41 for 268 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His touchdown pass was on an 86-yard slant route to Houston native Brandon LaFell in the fourth quarter.

"The defense did an unbelievable job except for that one play," O'Brien said. "They kept us in the game. It was 3-0 at halftime when we were terrible on offense."

The Bengals had a chance to beat the Texans and force a winner-take-all game for the AFC South next Sunday in Nashville, but Bullock's miss allowed the Texans to escape with the two-point victory.

The second half was much more exciting than the first half in which the Texans generated only 34 yards and two first downs. They didn't even get close enough to stink in the red zone.

Defense dominates

If not for Romeo Crennel's defense, the Texans would have been totally humiliated at halftime. Instead, they trailed after Bullock connected on a 43-yard field goal for the only points in the first two quarters.

The Texans benefited from not having to cover receiver A.J. Green (hamstring) and tight end Tyler Eifert (back).

For some reason, the Bengals' game plan seemed to call for them to try to pick on cornerback A.J. Bouye. That seemed strange considering Bouye has been the Texans' best defensive back this season and one of the most effective corners in the NFL.

Like his teammates on defense, Bouye was outstanding for most of the game. This game should have been put away in the second half, but the offense was so miserable it had to settle for two short Novak field goals when it couldn't convert in the red zone.

At least the Texans moved the ball in the second half when O'Brien switched to a no-huddle to increase the tempo and speed things up for quarterback Tom Savage, who completed two passes for 13 yards in the first half and 16 for 163 in the second.

"That's been the theme since I've been here – this dominant defense," Savage said. "You see if you protect the ball, we're going to find a way to win. Obviously, we'd like to make it a lot easier on them (defense)."

The defense tried to make it easy on the offense when Quintin Demps made a diving interception at the Bengals' 40, giving the Texans their best starting field position in the game, but the offense couldn't gain one yard.

One big play for Bengals

Dalton's touchdown pass to LaFell gave the Bengals a 10-6 lead with 10:45 left in the game. One of the players giving chase was defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who thought he was going to catch LaFell.

"I did – for a second," he said. "I hit my top speed, but he was still picking up speed. I tried."

That was the Bengals' first touchdown in the fourth quarter in seven games. Until that touchdown, they'd scored a league-worst 51 points in the fourth quarter.

The Bengals had a chance to score a second time in the fourth quarter, but Bullock's missed field goal cost them the game.

"To win the division is a great feeling," Clowney said. "This is what we play for. Everybody's happy.

"Now we're going to the playoffs, and anything can happen in the playoffs."