The Cincinnati Bengals paid no heed to New Orleans’ stellar home record as they toppled the Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome 27-10 on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Houston Texans had an upset of their own as they routed the then-AFC North leaders, the Cleveland Browns, 23-7. The two now meet in a crucial AFC showdown, each hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Line: Cincinnati Bengals (+2) at Houston Texans (-2); total: 44.0 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Cincinnati Bengals
Undeterred by the rowdy Saints home crowd, Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton was clinical at the Superdome, completing 73 percent of his passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Catching two of Dalton’s scoring passes was tight end Jermaine Gresham, while No. 1 receiver A.J. Green caught the third. Green finished with six catches for 127 yards and a score. The Bengals are now 3-1 in their last four games.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Against the Texans’ leaky pass defense, expect the same surgical precision from Dalton and his receiving corps. The Texans have allowed an average of 303 yards in their last five games and the sixth-most passing touchdowns on the season (19).
On the ground, running back Jeremy Hill made his third-straight start in place of the injured Giovanni Bernard (hip). Hill ran for 152 yards on 27 carries, his second 150-yard game as a starter this season. While Hill may have been efficient moving the chains against Houston, he may have a more difficult time finding his way to the end zone. The Texans have allowed only five rushing scores this season (sixth in the league).
Speaking of the running game, the Texans’ rushing attack, which is averaging 144 rushing yards per game (third-best in the NFL), will likely be the best the Bengals will face this season. Stopping Houston’s Alfred Blue or Arian Foster (if healthy) from establishing the run will be crucial to force the Texans into the passing game.
The Bengals’ pass defense has been impressive this season with 69 passes defended (third-most in the NFL) and 10 interceptions (ninth-most). Strong safety George Iloka has been efficient in the secondary, breaking up eight passes and collecting a team-high three picks.
The total has gone under in three of the Bengals’ four road games this season.
Betting on the Houston Texans
J.J. Watt made his presence felt on both sides of the ball in the Texans’ 23-7 rout of the Browns. Watt scored the first touchdown of the game, a two-yard catch from quarterback Ryan Mallett, to become the first defensive lineman to score four times in a season since 1948.
Defensively, Watt was unstoppable as he recorded a strip sack, made five tackles (three for a loss), recovered a fumble and pressured Cleveland’s Brian Hoyer into several bad throws.
Houston’s No. 99 now faces one of his toughest tests this season when he takes on Cincinnati’s excellent offensive line. Bengals quarterback Dalton has enjoyed his line’s very good protection, taking only 13 sacks this season (third-least in the NFL). Still, if there’s a man who can crack that O-line, it’s Watt, who leads the league with 29 quarterback hits this season.
Offensively, the Texans love running the ball and should have a more run-heavy approach to this game especially going up against Cincinnati’s top-notch pass defense. Backup running back Alfred Blue had an excellent game filling in for an injured Arian Foster against the Browns. Blue ran for 156 yards on a franchise-record 36 carries. The Texans running game could even become deadlier with a possible return of Foster, who has six 100-yard games this season and leads the team with seven touchdowns.
One of the main reasons for the success of Houston’s running game is their dominant and physical offensive line. The Texans O-line overpowered the Browns’ front seven, which lost three defensive linemen to injury by the end of last week’s game. The same unit should be able to open up spaces for the running game against Cincinnati, which allows the fifth-most rushing yards (136.2) per game this season.
The Texans are 5-0 SU/ATS in their last five games against Cincinnati. More recently, the Texans have been involved in high-scoring games as the total has gone over in four of their last five games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Texans (-2) run over the Bengals to win and cover the spread. Create a betting account now and cash in on the best football action in the nation.
