The Cincinnati Bengals have had very little luck historically against the Houston Texans. However, they've got arguably the best team they've had in decades and are the biggest favorites on the board in Week 10 this time around against a team which is barely clinging to playoff hopes at its halfway point of the season.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Houston Texans +12
Cincinnati Bengals -12
Over/Under 48
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Bengals are laying a dozen, marking the second week in a row they've laid double digits. It's worth remembering that this is the best ATS team in the game as well at 7-0-1 ATS, and teams rarely go this deep into the campaign without an ATS loss. Eventually, Cincinnati is going to fail to cover a game, and bettors need to be ready for it now that the adjustment has been made from this being a team consistently undervalued to one which is probably overplayed.
The total has been set at 48, a rather average number by the standards of both of these teams.
WHEN THE HOUSTON TEXANS HAVE THE BALL
Bill O'Brien's big task during Houston's bye week was coming up with a strategy to replace Arian Foster. Foster's season – and likely his Texans career – are both over with thanks to a torn Achilles tendon, and Alfred Blue just hasn't cut it as a backup. Whether it's Chris Polk or Jonathan Grimes who steps up is beyond us, but someone or some combination of these three men must figure out how to keep the ball moving on the ground.
The Texans are basically a one-man offense right now. DeAndre Hopkins is a beast with 66 catches for 870 yards and six TDs, but the rest of this offense is really just awful. Cecil Shorts III and Nate Washington don't strike us as legitimate receiving threats as No. 2 receivers, and the Bengals and their underrated defense could take advantage of that if someone can shut down Hopkins.
Geno Atkins could cause some real problems for this interior Houston line. The guards have been the real problem this year, not the tackles, and that's why live bettors should be ready for it to be a long day for Brian Hoyer standing in the pocket.
WHEN THE CINCINNATI BENGALS HAVE THE BALL
No offense is as dynamic this year as that of Cincinnati. Hue Jackson dials up more creative plays than anyone else in the game, and the Houston defense isn't going to be ready for it. This is a defense which, much like the offense, is basically just one player. J.J. Watt is a one-man wrecking crew, and he can blow up any offensive scheme.
However, when push comes to shove, there are just too many weapons here for the Cincinnati offense, particularly going against a bad Houston secondary which is prone to the big play. It would be a shock, in fact, if A.J. Green or Mohamed Sanu didn't have at least one catch of at least 50 yards in this NFL game. That's the type of play which wrecks live bets all the time, and live bettors should always be on the lookout for it.
You can generally feel when some tricks are coming out of the bag. Look out for when the Bengals have short fields or are taking over after Houston turnovers. That's when Jackson loves to dig deep into that bag, and we have a feeling he's going to be coming out with a lot of goodies in this one.
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