Cincinnati Bengals (+2)* at Houston Texans
Alright, Cincinnati, it’s time to quit messing around. Are you going to repeat as AFC North champion or fail to show up at gametime again?
Sunday’s victory in New Orleans went a long way to clear the recent memory of the Bengals getting waxed at home by the Cleveland Browns, but beating the Saints doesn’t mean the same as it has in recent years. In reality, beating the Texans on Sunday would also do little to make believers out of the Cincinnati doubters, but Houston is currently not a place where winning teams could afford a loss – visiting teams with winning records are 2-0 at NRG Stadium this year.
Houston continues to be a takeaway machine, but that remains its overwhelming strength. Even with a defense ranked in the top-ten for points allowed, the Texans give up more yards per game than all but two teams in the National Football League. Riding high on recovered fumbles and a solid debut by a quarterback in his first career start are nice ways to win one game, but a risky proposition when attempting to be sustained over the long haul. Cincinnati has the recent pedigree and healthy playmakers in rookie Jeremy Hill and wide receiver A.J. Green to pull out a game it cannot afford to lose.
Cincinnati hands Houston its third home loss, winning by ten and beating the spread.
