Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Betting Pick: Houston -4 -110 odds (January 7th 2012)
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Okay NFL gamblers, I don’t see a whole lot of reason to waste time beating around the bush with this pick, mostly because I expect this contest to play out much like the team’s regular season meeting in which the Texans escaped with a narrow 20-19 road win over the Bengals (9-7 SU, 8-6-2 ATS, 11-5 O/U), though this one should be just a tad different with the Texans playing at home. Houston averaged 23.8 points per game this season (10th), as running back Arian Foster rushed for 1,224 yards and backup Ben Tate, an eye-opening 942 yards and impressive 5.4-yard average. The Bengals lost five games in falling to the Texans and division rival Steelers and Ravens two times apiece. Still, I really like the way the Bengals have played this season and I believe they are going to make this contest a flat-out war because of their outstanding defense. Nevertheless, I like the Texans to get the SU and ATS win for one large reason – they’re playing at home in their first playoff game in franchise history – and have arguably the game’s best defensive coordinator in Wade Phillips. The Texans have recorded an impressive 5-2-2 ATS mark in their last nine home games while also going 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 games as a favorite. With Cincinnati going 0-4 ATS in their last four meetings against the Texans, things don’t look very good for the Bengals or their fans. The Bengals are 1-5 ATS in their last half-dozen games in the month of January, 0-4-1 ATS versus a team with a winning record and 0-5-1 ATS in their last six games against their AFC conference rivals. The Texans are 3-0-1 ATS in their L/4 games against a team with a winning record and an encouraging 6-2-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall. I like the Houston Texans to win this contest and very narrowly cover the NFL betting line. If you enjoyed this Houston vs. Cincinnati Pick from Eric Williams, be sure to purchase his premium NFL playoffs picks this post-season.