Bengals vs. Texans Playoff Odds
HOUSTON, TX (The Spread) – Wildcard Weekend in the NFL kicks off this afternoon when the Houston Texans host the Cincinnati Bengals at 4:30PM ET on NBC.
CINCINNATI: The Bengals essentially backed into the playoffs because despite their 24-16 loss to the Ravens in Week 17, they still clinched a postseason berth thanks to losses by the Jets and Raiders. But regardless of whether they backed in or not, nobody expected Cincinnati to qualify for the playoffs in preseason. Led by rookies Andy Dalton (3,398 passing yards) and A.J. Green (1,057 receiving yards, 7 touchdowns), the Bengals went 9-7 this year and 8-6-2 against the spread. The over hit in 11 of their 16 games this season, although the under covered in two of their final three games. Dalton missed practice earlier this week due to the flu, but there’s no question he’ll start under center today versus the Texans.
HOUSTON: The embattled Texans clinched their first postseason berth in franchise history when they won the AFC South this season. Of course, their jaunt into the playoffs didn’t come without its price. The Texans lost starting quarterback Matt Schaub for the season when he broke his foot in a Week 10 win over the Buccaneers, and then backup signal caller Matt Leinart was lost for the season the very next week when he fractured his collarbone. In steps rookie fifth-round pick T.J. Yates, who leads Houston to three-straight wins against Jacksonville, Atlanta and Cincinnati before the Texans lost their final three games of the season. The team finished 10-6 overall and 9-5-2 against the spread, while the under hit in 10 of their 16 games this year.
ODDS: Oddsmakers have installed the Texans as a 3.5-point favorite over the Bengals for today’s game, while the over/under total is currently sitting at 38.5 points. Cincinnati enters the day with a 9-7 overall record and is 5-3 on the road this year, while Houston is 10-6 overall and 5-3 at home.
TRENDS: The Bengals are 0-4 against the spread in their last four games against the Texans and 0-5-1 ATS in their last six games versus the AFC. They’re also 0-3-1 ATS in their last four games as an underdog and 1-5-2 ATS in their last eight games overall, but they are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games as a road underdog. The Texans, meanwhile, are 6-2-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall and 3-0-1 ATS in their last four games versus a team with a winning record.
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