Bengals vs. Texans Pick
Is the under a safe bet when the Texans host the Bengals at 8:25PM ET on Saturday night in Houston?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Texans opened as a 3-point home favorite over the Bengals but the line is down to a pick’em at the majority of sports books. As for the total, the number hit the board at 41 and has been bet up to 41.5.
The Bengals blew a sizable halftime lead last week to the Steelers, falling 24-20 when Pittsburgh rallied in the second half. The loss was Cincinnati’s eighth of the season and at 5-8-1, the Bengals are out of the playoff mix in the AFC. They also failed to cover as a 3-point home underdog last Sunday, which was the first time they failed to cover in the last three weeks. They’re 5-9 against the spread in 2016.
The Texans rallied to beat the Jaguars 21-20 after coach Bill O’Brien benched starter Brock Osweiler for Tom Savage. The move may have saved Houston’s season, although the team is in a dead heat with Tennessee in the AFC South at 8-6. Savage will start on Saturday night against the Bengals and barring a horrible performance, will probably draw another start next Sunday when the Texans take on the Titans.
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OUR PREDICTION: Savage did a much better job moving the offense than Osweiler, but I hardly think the Texans are going to be an offensive juggernaut now. The under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings between these two teams, is 8-3 in the Texans’ last 11 home games and is 5-1 in the Bengals’ last six games overall. I expect another low-scoring defensive struggle between these two teams, even with A.J. Green expected to return for the Bengals following a lengthy layoff due to a nasty hamstring injury.
NFL WEEK 16 PREDICTION: BENGALS/TEXANS UNDER 41