2013 NFL Wild Card Weekend Bengals vs. Texans Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
HOUSTON, TX (The Spread) – Can the Texans put their recent struggles behind them when they host the Bengals at 4:30PM ET today in the NFL Wild Card Playoff round?
NFL Odds: According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Texans are 4.5-point favorites versus the Bengals while the over/under total is currently sitting at 43 points. Cincinnati is 10-6 overall and 6-2 on the road, while Houston is 12-4 overall and 6-2 at home.
Line Movement: The Texans opened as a 5-point favorite but the line has dropped to 4.5 at most sports books. The total, meanwhile, opened at 44 and has dropped slightly to 43.5 points.
Public Betting: Of the wagers currently placed on this game, 51% of NFL public bettors currently favor the Bengals. This information is subject to change leading up to kickoff, however, so make sure you click on the link provided for the most up-to-date NFL public betting numbers.
NFL Playoff Free Pick: Take Houston. According to latest NFL trends, the Bengals are 0-5 against the spread in their last five games versus the Texans and 2-6-1 ATS in their last nine games versus a team with a winning record. They're also 1-4 ATS in their last five Saturday games and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games in January. The Texans, meanwhile, are 3-0-2 ATS in their last five games in January and 18-7-2 ATS in their last 27 games versus the AFC. Look for the Texans to run the ball effectively with Arian Foster and get their offense back on track after struggling the past two weeks. Defensively, coordinator Wade Phillips will likely scheme to take away A.J. Green and limit the big play. The Texans might not make a deep postseason run but they should advance to the Divisional Round with a win today.
2013 NFL WILD CARD WEEKEND FREE PICK: HOUSTON TEXANS -4.5