Bluegrassrivals

1:00 PM ET


Texans (9-3, 4-2 away)

Bengals (7-5, 3-2 home)


who wins and why?

Texans 21-13

Texans by 4

Bengals in a ROUT!

Texans win this one.

If it was at Houston, i'd take Texans by 2 td's
If it was a neutral field, i'd take Texans by 1 td.
It's at Cincy, so...
Bengals - 23
Texans - 20

Keep in mind that the Texans just beat the Falcons with their 3rd string QB and Johnson missing a significant portion of the game.

If Johnson is back it will be a 10 point game.

Texans..

To bad both cant lose this week, I'll take the Texans, help get the Titans in the wildcard.

Cincinnati 27-13.

Five keys for Bengals vs. Texans

1 Feed Benson: The Bengals were doing well running the ball last Sunday during the first 20 minutes when the game was still within reach. Cedric Benson averaged 4 yards per carry and had good success when running to the right side. Considering how well both defenses are playing, this would be the one game where 25 carries or more from Benson would be beneficial.

2 Protect Dalton: The offensive line had its worst game of the year and now faces a team tied for second in the league in sacks with 35. Antonio Smith and J.J. Watt have tremendous quickness on the line and former UC standout Connor Barwin, who plays linebacker, leads the team in sacks with 8.5.

3 Tighten up against the run: The Bengals were a good run defense team early in the season but have given up an average of 120 yards over the past four games. Arian Foster and Ben Tate are one of the best rushing duos in the league and the Texans are 8-0 when they score a rushing touchdown and 9-0 when they've had more than 25 carries in a game.

4 Limit Daniels: Tight end Owen Daniels leads the Texans in receptions (44) and has three touchdowns. He gets a first down on 79.5 percent of his receptions and is also a good receiver on intermediate and deep routes. Considering how the Bengals struggled against San Francisco's Vernon Davis earlier in the season, Daniels presents the same challenges.

5 Get it to Gresham: The Texans have been susceptible to big games from tight ends, especially last week when Atlanta's Tony Gonzalez had seven receptions for 100 yards. With the struggles of Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell, Jermaine Gresham is going to need to step up with a big effort if the passing game is going to have success.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111.../112110317

First down: Bengals vs. Texans

Dalton to Green
Through three quarters of the season, A.J. Green and Andy Dalton are on pace to become one of the most prolific quarterback-receiver duos in NFL history. A look at where they stand in some key categories (sources: STATS Inc. and NFL):

Most Completions by Rookie QB/Receiver Combos - Since 1991

1999 Browns -- Tim Couch to Kevin Johnson - 57
1998 Colts -- Peyton Manning to Jerome Pathon - 50
2011 Bengals -- Andy Dalton to A.J. Green - 47
1996 Rams -- Tony Banks to Eddie Kennison - 45
2002 Texans -- David Carr to Jabar Gaffney - 41
Most Passing Yards by Rookie QB/Receiver Combos - Since 1991
1999 Browns -- Tim Couch to Kevin Johnson - 859 yards
2011 Bengals -- Andy Dalton to A.J. Green - 777 yards
1996 Rams -- Tony Banks to Eddie Kennison - 772 yards
1993 Patriots -- Drew Bledsoe to Vincent Brisby - 520 yards
1998 Colts -- Peyton Manning to Jerome Pathon - 511 yards
Most Passing TDs by Rookie QB/Receiver Combos - Since 1951
1971 Patriots -- Jim Plunkett to Randy Vataha - 9 TDs
1999 Browns -- Tim Couch to Kevin Johnson - 8 TDs
1996 Rams -- Tony Banks to Eddie Kennison - 7 TDs
2011 Bengals -- Andy Dalton to A.J. Green - 6 TDs
1952 Packers -- Babe Parilli to Billy Howton - 5 TDs

Turning it around
Through 12 games, Houston is the most improved defensive unit in the NFL. Houston is giving up 15.8 points per game in 2011, 10.9 points per game less than the team gave up in 2010 (26.7) and 102.8 fewer yards.

Most improved total yardage defenses

2011 -- 2011 -- 2010 -- 2010 --
Team -- Rank -- Yds/Gm -- Rank -- Yds/Gm -- Diff.
Houston -- 2 -- 274.1 -- 30 -- 376.9 -- -102.8
Jacksonville -- 5 -- 304.2 -- 28 -- 371.8 -- -67.6
Washington -- 9 -- 325.3 -- 31 -- 389.3 -- -64.0
Baltimore -- 3 -- 287.3 -- 10 -- 318.9 -- -31.6
Seattle -- 14 -- 339.7 -- 27 -- 368.6 -- -28.9
Cleveland -- 8 -- 324.6 -- 22 -- 350.1 -- -25.5
Cincinnati -- 6 -- 306.7 -- 15 -- 332.0 -- -25.3

Series history
This is the sixth meeting between the Bengals and Texans. The Bengals lead 3-2 but the Texans have won the last two games.

Last meeting: Week 6 of the 2009 season at Paul Brown Stadium, where Houston rallied for a 28-17 victory.

At Cincinnati: Bengals lead 2-1

The Coaches
Bengals: Marvin Lewis (67-74-1 overall) is in his ninth year. He is 2-2 against the Texans and 8-9 vs. AFC South.

Texans: Gary Kubiak (46-46) is in his sixth season. He is 2-0 against the Bengals and 6-5 against the AFC North.

Injury report
Bengals - Out: LB Dontay Moch (illness); Doubtful: DE Carlos Dunlap (hamstring); Questionable: CB Nate Clements (hamstring), RB Brian Leonard (knee), T Andre Smith (ankle)

Texans - Out -- WR Andre Johnson (hamstring); Questionable: DE Tim Bulman (calf), RB Lawrence Vickers (hamstring), WR Kevin Walter (illness); Probable: LB Mister Alexander (shoulder), CB Jason Allen (thumb,head), G Mike Brisiel (ankle), RB James Casey (chest), LB Brian Cushing (ribs,knee), QB Jake Delhomme (calf), TE Joel Dreessen (groin), TE Garrett Graham (hamstring), CB Brandon Harris (hip), CB Brice McCain (shoulder), S Glover Quin (elbow, knee), DE Antonio Smith (shoulder), T Eric Winston (knee)

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111.../112110315

Scouting report: Bengals vs. Texans

ale of the tape
Bengals -- Category -- Texans
7-5 -- Record -- 9-3
22.2 (19) -- Points for -- 25.8 (5)
326.1 (18) -- Total offense -- 376.2 (10)
108.1 (20) -- Rush offense -- 152.6 (3)
218.0 (19) -- Pass offense -- 223.6 (17)
20.8 (14) -- Points allowed -- 15.8 (2)
306.7 (6) -- Total defense -- 274.1 (2)
96.3 (6) -- Rush defense -- 90.7 (4)
210.3 (10) -- Pass defense -- 183.4 (3)
-1 (T17) -- Turnover ratio -- +12 (3)

When the Bengals run
Cedric Benson needs 99 yards to become the fifth player in team history to reach 4,000 rushing yards. He has 88 carries for 388 yards (4.4 yards per carry average) in home games and four 100-yard games in December. Bernard Scott has 23 carries for 73 yards against the AFC South this season. Houston has held five of its last six opponents under 100 yards (121 carries, 446 yards) and only two backs have run for 100 yards or more against them this season (Baltimore's Ray Rice and Miami's Daniel Thomas). Brian Cushing leads the Texans in tackles with 82 and has seven tackles for loss. Cushing had an interception and two forced fumbles in the last meeting against the Bengals.

When the Bengals pass
In home games, Andy Dalton has completed 96 of 161 passes for 1,159 yards with five touchdowns against six interceptions and a passer rating of 76.6. A.J. Green leads NFL rookies in receiving yards (832) and touchdown catches (seven). Two of Green's seven touchdowns have been against AFC South teams. Jerome Simpson has 13 receptions for 183 yards against the AFC South this season. Jermaine Gresham needs nine receptions to reach 100 for his career. The Texans are tied for the conference lead in interceptions with 17. Former Bengal Johnathan Joseph has four with all of them coming on the road. The Texans have 35 sacks this season and need three more to surpass the franchise record set in 2005. Former UC standout Connor Barwin leads the team in sacks with 8.5.

When the Texans run
Arian Foster has a rushing touchdown in six straight games and has a league-best 24 rushing touchdowns since the beginning of last season. He needs 84 yards to reach 1,000 for the second straight season. Foster leads the NFL in scrimmage yards per game with 142.6 and has five 100-yard rushing games this season. Ben Tate has four 100-yard rushing games on the season and Foster and Tate have both rushed for over 100 in the same game twice, which is the first time that has happened in the league since Tennessee and Carolina did it in 2008. The Bengals have allowed only two 100-yard rushers but have allowed teams to gain over 100 yards for four straight weeks. Linebacker Thomas Howard leads the team in tackles with 85.

When the Texans pass
T.J. Yates threw for 188 yards and a touchdown in his first start last week. Yates is one of only four rookie fifth-round picks to earn a win in his first start since the NFL merger. The others were Arizona's John Skelton (2010), Chicago's Craig Krenzel (2004) and San Diego's Cliff Olander (1977). Tight end Joel Dreessen aims for his third straight game with a touchdown catch. Tight end Owen Daniels leads the Texans with 44 receptions for 544 yards and has three touchdowns. He had two touchdowns against the Bengals in their last meeting two years ago. Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins has three sacks in the past four games.

Special teams
Mike Nugent is 21 of 23 on field goals but had a 33-yard attempt blocked last week. Kevin Huber is averaging 44.4 yards on punts and had four inside the 20 last week. Brandon Tate has been inconsistent on returns and is in the middle of the league rankings. Houston has a new punter this week in former Jaguar Matt Turk after Brett Hartmann suffered a knee injury in last week's game. Jacoby Jones has four career punt/kickoff return touchdowns, including one earlier this season and one against the Bengals in 2008. He is averaging 11.1 yards on punt returns this season. Neil Rackers is 22 of 25 on field goals.

Prediction
Marvin Lewis calls this the most important game of his nine-year tenure because of how it can serve as a springboard for the Bengals. With losses in three of their last four games, the Bengals need a win today in order to keep their playoff hopes in tact. In a game of let-the-best-defense win, the fact that the Bengals are at home might be enough. Bengals 16-14

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111.../112110314

M.Nugent kicks 67 yards from CIN 35 to HST -2. S.McManis to HST 15 for 17 yards (D.Skuta; B.Johnson).

1st and 10 at HOU 15: T.Yates pass incomplete short middle to J.Jones (A.Jones).

3rd and 10 at HOU 15: (Shotgun) A.Foster up the middle to HST 16 for 1 yard (T.Howard; M.Johnson).

4th and 9 at HOU 16: M.Turk punts 53 yards to CIN 31, Center-J.Weeks, fair catch by B.Tate.

1st and 10 at CIN 31: A.Dalton pass short right to A.Green to CIN 34 for 3 yards (J.Joseph; D.Manning).

2nd and 7 at CIN 34: A.Dalton pass incomplete short right to J.Gresham.

3rd and 7 at CIN 34: (Shotgun) A.Dalton pass incomplete short left to J.Simpson [B.Cushing]. Penalty on CIN-A.Whitworth, Ineligible Downfield Pass, declined.

4th and 7 at CIN 34: K.Huber punts 56 yards to HST 10, Center-C.Harris. J.Jones ran ob at HST 13 for 3 yards (C.Harris; A.Hawkins).

both teams with nothing on their first possesions

1st and 10 at HOU 13: A.Foster left tackle pushed ob at HST 18 for 5 yards (A.Jones).

2nd and 5 at HOU 18: A.Foster right tackle to HST 24 for 6 yards (D.Peko).

1st and 10 at HOU 24: B.Tate right tackle pushed ob at CIN 32 for 44 yards (R.Nelson).

1st and 10 at CIN 32: A.Foster right end to CIN 30 for 2 yards (N.Clements).

2nd and 8 at CIN 30: A.Foster right guard to CIN 28 for 2 yards (G.Atkins).

Arian Foster #23 RB
ATT YDS AVG LG TD
5 16 3.2 6 0

3rd and 6 at CIN 28: (Shotgun) T.Yates pass incomplete deep right to J.Jones.

4th and 6 at CIN 28: N.Rackers 46 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-J.Weeks, Holder-M.Turk.