Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans Odds
The Houston Texans (10-6) will host the Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) Saturday in the first playoff game in franchise history.
The Texans are currently listed as a three-point favorite with the total set at 38.
Houston looked as though it might be headed for a first-round bye when it won seven in row from Oct. 23-Dec. 11, but it didn’t play out that way as a injuries to quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart eventually caught up. Even third-string quarterback T.J. Yates went down with an injury in last week’s 23-22 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Yates completed all 4 of his throws for 47 yards before leaving Sunday’s game with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. He is expected to be able to play Saturday, but Jake Delhomme, who completed 18 of 28 passes for 211 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in relief, will get the call if Yates can’t go.
James Casey led the team in receiving with seven catches for 91 yards, and Bryant Johnson hauled in the lone touchdown toss.
Ben Tate led the way on the ground with 97 of the team’s 152 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The Bengals, who are back in the playoffs after missing out last season, will be looking for their first postseason win since 1990 season when they defeated another Houston franchise – the Oilers – 41-14 in a wild card game.
Cincinnati enters Saturday’s contest off a 24-16 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens. Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton connected on 22 of 44 pass attempts for 232 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the loss. Five passes found the hands of Jermaine Gresham, who led the team with 72 receiving yards.
Cedric Benson led the ground attack with 51 of the team’s 105 rushing yards.
The Bengals won the first three meetings in this series, but the Texans have won the last three, including a 20-19 win in Cincinnati on Dec. 11.
The Texans battled back from a 16-3 halftime deficit and won the game with a Neil Rackers PAT following a Yates’ touchdown strike with two seconds remaining.
The Bengals were able to take advantage of four Houston turnovers but ultimately didn’t mount enough offense in the second half versus a defense that finished the regular season ranked second with 285.7 yards allowed per game.
The Bengals fell in the first meeting, but it may not be wise to count them out Saturday. After all, they are 6-1-2 against the spread in their last nine road games and 4-0 against the spread in their last four games as a road underdog of three points or less.
In regard to the total, the Bengals have played to the under in seven of their last 10 when valued as an underdog of three points or fewer. The Texans have finished under the number in each of their last four as a favorite of three points or less.
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