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The Bengals vs. Texans spread has moved up a half point to -3.5 in favor of Houston. Bet this game at Sportsbook.com and receive up to $250 in FREE CASH HERE.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Houston -3.5 & 38.5
Opening Line & Total: Texams -3 & 39
The Texans make their postseason debut on Saturday afternoon, taking on a Bengals team that hasn’t won a playoff game since 1991.
This is a rematch of a Week 14 game in Cincinnati, when QB T.J. Yates and the Texans scored a go-ahead TD with two seconds left for a 20-19 win. Houston had four turnovers in that game (three lost fumbles), but outgained the Bengals 412-285. The Texans D matches up well with the Bengals’ offense, which relies heavily on big plays to receivers A.J. Green and Jerome Simpson. The Texans secondary, led by former Bengals CB Johnathan Joseph, is one of the NFL’s elite. Green and Simpson combined for just 97 yards in the first meeting. The Bengals went 0-7 SU (1-5-1 ATS) against 2011 playoff teams, and will not be able to keep up with a well-rested Texans squad.
Cincinnati rookie QB Andy Dalton has had a solid season with 3,398 passing yards, 20 TD and 13 INT. He’s thrown only one interception in his past six games, but has just 5 TD passes and has struggled with his accuracy in this stretch (56%). Dalton had a decent showing against Houston’s excellent pass defense (190 YPG, 3rd in NFL) in the Dec. 11 meeting, completing 16-of-28 passes for 189 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT. RB Cedric Benson also had a big day against a top-notch Texans rush defense (96 YPG, 4th in NFL), rumbling for 91 yards on 21 carries (4.3 YPC). But since that game, Benson has totaled just 184 yards (3.6 YPC) and has been limited at practice with a foot injury. He’ll start, but it’s unclear how healthy his foot really is.
On the Texans injury front, Yates is expected to start despite sitting out the majority of the Week 17 loss with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Yates hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since the game-winner in Cincy, connecting on 36-of-50 attempts (72%) for 391 yards (7.82 YPA) and 2 INT since then. Yates hasn’t been on the field much at the same time with Andre Johnson, but the Texans star WR usually shines in big games, and this will be his postseason debut. Head coach Gary Kubiak projects Johnson to play 45-to-50 snaps on Saturday, which gives him plenty of opportunities to make big plays.
But the one player who will most decide the Texans’ postseason fate is RB Arian Foster. He sat out last week’s game, and missed the first two weeks of the season with a hamstring injury, but still wound up with 1,224 rushing yards (4.4 YPC), 617 receiving yards and 12 total touchdowns in 13 games. But Foster had his worst game of the season against the Bengals, rushing for a season low 2.7 YPC (15 carries, 41 yards). However, Foster loves playing in Reliant Stadium, with four straight 100-yard games at home (114 YPG). RB Ben Tate will also play a big role in this game, as he’s coming off 97 rushing yards (6.1 YPC) against Tennessee. Tate piled up 97 total yards against Cincy in the Week 14 meeting, including 67 rushing yards on just eight carries (8.4 YPC). The Bengals defense is solid throughout though, ranking 10th in the NFL in rushing (105 YPC) and ninth in defending the pass (212 YPG).
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
