Bengals vs. Texans Betting Line

Home: Houston Texans (10-6 overall, 5-3 at home)
Away: Cincinnati Bengals (9-7 overall, 5-3 on the road)
When: Saturday, January 7, 2012. 4:30 pm ET
What: AFC Wild Card Game
TV Channel: NBC

Kicking off the 2011 – 2012 NFL playoffs is this AFC Wild Card game featuring the Cincinnati Bengals on the road to play the Houston Texans. Somewhat surprisingly, this is the first time in NFL playoff history that rookie QB’s have started in the same game. Andy Dalton will lead the average, yet well-rounded Bengals offense, and T.J. Yates will take over for the Texans.

Below are the latest Bengals vs. Texans betting lines from the best US friendly online sportsbooks. To place a bet, click on any of the odds or sportsbook logos. As the betting lines adjust, the chart below will continue to be updated, but the written content on this page may not.

Bengals at Texans Betting Lines: 2011 – 2012 AFC Wild Card

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans AFC Wild Card Analysis

These teams faced each other in week 14 in Cincinnati, and the Texans won it 20-19 with a 4th quarter, 10 point comeback. The stats sheet looks much stronger for the Texans until you see the 5 turnovers, including 4 fumbles (3 lost) and 1 INT. On the other side, the Bengals fumbled twice, losing both. So, the Texans lost the turnover battle, were playing on the road, with a less experienced Yates, and still won the game.

Since then, the Texans lost their last 3 games of the regular season, against the Panthers, Colts, and Titans respectively.

The Cincinnati Bengals numbers look more impressive than they are. For the most part in 2011 – 2012, they’ve beaten bad teams and lost to good teams. The teams they lost to had a combined regular season record of 55-25. The teams they beat had a combined record of 43-85. They only beat one team who finished with a winning record, the Titans (9-7) in week 9, plus a win over the 8-8 Arizona Cardinals in week 16. Those are the biggest wins of the Bengals season, and that’s not very impressive.

If you were ever going to start a rookie in the playoffs, the situation for Yates might be exactly what you asked for. The Houston Texans have a huge running game, with Arian Foster and Ben Tate combining for 2166 rushing yards. Foster is a beast, leading the team in rushing this year, and second on the team in receiving yards as well. The Texans rushing offense will take a lot of pressure off of Yates, giving them a fair fight against the (somewhat) more experienced Andy Dalton.

In his rookie season, Yates went 82 of 134 (61.2%), for 949 yards, 3 TD’s, 3 INT’s and an overall passer rating of 80.7. What’s concerning for the Texans is that Yates was sacked 15 times in his short amount of time on the field. In comparison, Schaub was sacked 16 times in more than double the playing time.

In his rookie season for the Cincinnati Bengals, Andy Dalton completed 300 of 516 (58.1%) attempts for 3,398 yards, 20 TD’s, 13 INT’s, and an overall passer rating of 80.4. Dalton has been fighting a “nasty bug” this week, but apparently he’s getting better and will be starting on Saturday.

Both teams have excellent defenses, but the Texans have the advantage. Their rushing defense is one of the best in the NFL, allowing just 96 yards per game. If that weren’t enough, their passing defense ranks #2 in the NFL in yards per game, giving up just 285.7 ypg. Much like their offense, the Bengals defense is very well-rounded, but their numbers aren’t quite as good as the Texans.

Houston is +7 in turnovers, versus 0 for the Bengals. With that said, the difference could be deceiving for this game. Matt Schaub threw just 6 INT’s this season, resulting in a low INT total for the Texans. However, the more inexperienced Yates will be starting this game, and his results are less predictable. I think we have to consider this game very even for potential turnovers.

Bengals vs. Texans Point Spread Betting Prediction

At the time this is being written, the Bengals vs. Texans point spread is 3.5 points, favoring the Texans.

The best Houston Texans point spread is -3.5 (-110) at BetOnline. Playing at home, I think the Texans will get back on track in this game, winning by 5+. I expect the Texans to run like crazy, eating up a big chunk of the clock. Foster should be productive, giving Yates a chance to make plays when he passes the ball. I don’t see this one coming down to a field goal, so I don’t mind giving up 3.5 points.

I’m taking the Houston Texans -3.5 (-110) at BetOnline.com.

If you prefer the Cincinnati Bengals and getting the points, get them on the point spread at +3.5 (-105) at JustBet.cx.

Bengals at Texans Money Line Odds

Right now (Friday at 3:00pm ET), the best Cincinnati Bengals money line is +177 at JustBet.cx. The best Houston Texans money line is -205 at BetOnline.com.

Do the Texans win this game more than 205 out of 300 times they play, at home, in this exact situation? I think they do, winning 215 – 230 of those games. So, I see some value on the Texans here.

I’m going to bet on the Texans money line of -205 at BetOnline.com.

Texans vs Bengals AFC Wild Card Prop Bets

Although every online sportsbook will be offering Texans vs Bengals prop bets, the Bovada Sportsbook will probably have the best selection. They’re running a ton of prop bets for each of the Wild Card games already, and the list will expand between now and the start of each game.

As always, it’s a good idea to shop for the best prices, and this is especially important with prop bets. The variety of props that will be available will vary, and the vig does as well.

A few of the Bengals vs. Texans prop bets available at Bovada.lv right now:

– Who will record more TD passes: Yates (+160), Dalton (+160), Tie (+190).
– Total rushing yards for Arian Foster: Over/Under 105.5 yards (-115).
– Total receiving yards for A.J. Green: Over/Under 67.5 yards. Over -125, Under -105.

Other Wild Card Games:

– Bengals vs. Texans Over/Under Odds
– Falcons vs. Giants Betting Line
– Steelers vs. Broncos Betting Line
– Lions vs. Saints Betting Line