Cincinnati preserved its unbeaten record this season with an impressive 31-10 victory over division rivals Cleveland on Thursday. The Bengals will look to keep their hot start going this coming Monday when they take on the Houston Texans in a blockbuster matchup at Paul Brown Stadium.
Who will emerge victorious in this Monday Night Football clash? Read on below for a preview of this NFL showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our Week 10 previews of New England vs. NY Giants and Arizona vs. Seattle.
Houston finally chalked up its third win of the season with a 20-6 victory over Tennessee on November 2. It was a huge bounce-back victory for the Texans, who suffered an embarrassing 44-26 defeat to Miami the previous weekend. With the victory, the Texans are now just half a game behind the division-leading Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South standings.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Starring for the Texans in their latest triumph was DeAndre Hopkins. He caught eight passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in this game. Hopkins now has 2,882 yards receiving in his career to pass Andre Johnson for most yards receiving in franchise history in a player’s first three seasons. The Texans need Hopkins to be more aggressive on the offensive end now that Arian Foster is out for the season with an Achilles injury.
Apart from Hopkins, the Texans’ defense also stepped up big time against the Titans. They held Tennessee to just six points in this contest with the Titans managing just 211 total yards. Houston’s pressure defense was phenomenal in this ballgame, tying a franchise record with seven sacks. Whitney Mercilus posted a career-high 3.5 sacks while J.J. Watt tied a career high with nine quarterback hits and had 2.5 sacks.
They will need to bring that same kind of defensive effort this coming Sunday if they are to upset the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals. The Texans, in particular, need their secondary to man up against Cincinnati’s lethal aerial attack that’s averaging 270.8 passing yards per game this season, seventh-best in the NFL. Houston is 8th in passing defense this season, allowing just 227.4 yards per game this campaign.
Can the Bengals be stopped? That’s the question on everybody’s lips after Cincinnati recorded yet another victory on Thursday, a 31-10 conquest of Cleveland at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals improved to 8-0 for the first time in their 47-year franchise history, their longest winning streak within a season.
Leading the way for the Bengals in this victory was Andy Dalton. He completed 21 of 27 passes against the Browns for 234 yards and three touchdowns. Dalton finished this divisional matchup with an incredible passer rating of 139.8 which made his 2.0 passer rating against Cleveland in last November’s Thursday night game a distant memory.
Tight end Tyler Eifert was Dalton’s favorite target in this contest, catching five passes for 53 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. That tied a franchise record, first set by Bob Trumpy back in 1969. Eifert now has a total of nine touchdowns this season, the most in the NFL among tight ends.
The Bengals will look to sustain the momentum of that huge win when they take on the Houston Texans this coming Monday. For Cincinnati to remain undefeated, it needs to continue its excellent play on the defensive end. The Bengals are fifth in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing just 17.8 points per game this season. They will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a Houston side that has struggled mightily on the offensive end this year. The Texans are 20th in the NFL in scoring, averaging a measly 21.8 points per contest.
The Bengals are 3-0-1 ATS at home this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Cincinnati extends its winning streak to nine games with a commanding 31-17 victory.
