Texans at Bengals Pick
The red-hot Cincinnati Bengals will host the Houston Texans at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday at 1:00PM ET.
The Texans continued their trend of following one good week with one bad as they fell to the Cardinals 28-21 in Week 4. Matt Schaub threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns, while Andre Johnson caught eight passes for 101 yards and two scores. Houston failed to cover as 6-point underdogs.
The Bengals shocked many pundits with their 17-14 win over the Ravens in Baltimore last Sunday. Cedric Benson rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, while Carson Palmer threw for 271 yards with one touchdown and a pick. The Bengals easily covered the spread as a 9-point underdog.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Bengals 5-point favorites over the Texans on Sunday. The over/under total for this game has been set at 45 points.
If there’s anything bettors can rely on when it comes to the NFL it’s to expect the unexpected. The Bengals are on fire right now and the general public is going to start riding them hard.
But we caution getting too high on the Bengals too early. Yes, they’re a solid team now that Palmer is back under center, Benson has found new life and the defense is playing extremely well. But they’re due for a letdown after an emotional game last week in Baltimore and they might be caught napping this week with Houston in town.
The Texans have enough offensive firepower to match wits with any team in the NFL. But the defense has struggled to stop the run and the offense is having a tough time keeping up to how many points the defense is allowing.
We think Houston will settle for a conservative game plan this week defensively and allow its offense to try to win the game through the air. We don’t necessarily think that the Texans will win, but if we’re right and Cincinnati is due for a letdown, Houston should cover.
Take the points and the under, as bad weather could affect things in Cincinnati on Sunday.
Our NFL Week 6 Free Pick for this matchup is: HOUSTON TEXANS +5 and UNDER 45.
Texans at Bengals Current Odds
211 Houston Texans +5 Over 45
212 Cincinnati Bengals –5 Under 45
Houston is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
Houston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Cincinnati is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
Cincinnati is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Houston Texans
James Casey TE Missed Wednesday Practice (illness)
Nick Ferguson S Missed Wednesday Practice (knee)
Brian Cushing LB Limited Wednesday Practice (foot)
DeMeco Ryans LB Limited Wednesday Practice (shoulder)
Mario Williams DE Limited Wednesday Practice (shoulder)
Rex Grossman QB Full Wednesday Practice (illness)
Cincinnati Bengals
Andre Smith T Out Week 6 (foot)
Brian Leonard RB Missed Wednesday Practice (groin)
Frostee Rucker DE Missed Wednesday Practice (ankle)
Jerome Simpson WR Missed Wednesday Practice (illness)
Kyries Hebert S Limited Wednesday Practice (hip)
Rashad Jeanty LB Full Wednesday Practice (finger)
Tank Johnson DT Full Wednesday Practice (foot)
Chinedum Ndukwe S Full Wednesday Practice (hamstring)
Carson Palmer QB Full Wednesday Practice (left thumb)
Posted: 10/18/09 8:05AM ET