The Cincinnati Bengals will travel in an AFC Wildcard playoff as they face the Houston Texans in an NFL pro football game on Saturday afternoon. Kick off time from Houston is scheduled for 4:30PM Eastern Time with national television coverage provided by NBC.
The point spread opened up in the AFC Wildcard playoff game with the home team Houston Texans favored by -4 ½ points with an over under line of 43 points. Early money from the bettors has landed on the side of the road underdog Bengals as Houston is now favored by -4 points. The total has moved up a ½ point to a current line of 43 ½ points.
The two teams met in the AFC Wildcard round last year in the playoffs and it was Houston with the 31-10 home win against the Bengals as a -4 point betting favorite. The game landed over 38 points. The Texans pulled away at the half as they outscore Cincinnati 14-0 in the win. NFL Trend: Houston Texans are 5-0 ATS in their past five head to head meetings with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati concluded play with a record of 10-6 on the season. The team is 6-2 away from home. They closed very strongly to close the season as the team has won three straight and seven of their past eight games. The Bengals turnaround came from the defensive side of the football as they allow 13 points or less to six of their past eight opponents. The two exceptions came in a 20-19 home loss to Dallas and in week seventeen as they beat Baltimore 23-17. Cincinnati clinched a playoff spot and eliminated the Steelers at the same time as the team enters Pittsburgh and gets a monster road win 13-10 as a +3 point road underdog in week sixteen. Cincinnati is the sixth ranked defense in football bay allowing 319 yards a game. They defend the run and pass very well and bring a strong pass rush.
The Houston Texans host the AFC Wildcard playoff with a record of 12-4 on the year. The team is 6-2 in their home stadium. Houston was looking at home field advantage and a first round bye by just winning one of their remaining two games. Houston couldn’t get the job done with losses in week sixteen at home to Minnesota 23-6 and last week the Texans lose at Indianapolis 28-16 as a -6 ½ point betting favorite on the road. It was the Texans third loss in four games. The other loss came on a Sunday night on October 14th as they drop a 42-24 home decision to Green Bay as a -4 point favorite. The Texans offense has sputtered during this skid as the team can score no more than 16 points in those three losses. Quarterback Matt Schaub has just one touchdowns pass in his past four games with three picks in that span. Houston has the seventh ranked defense as the club allows 323 yards a game.